The Day After Happily Ever After
by Trillian
Summary: UPDATED! I know, I know! It's about time! Ok, summary: Our happy couples go to the prom! Will Gordo finally give Lizzie *dumdumdum* the ring?
1. A New day brings new suprises

I don't own Lizzie McGuire, or any of it's characters, and am making no profit from this story monetarily or otherwise. Yada, yada, yada.  
  
A/N: If you haven't already read it, this story will make sense if you first read "Finally Home." This story is a continuation of that one. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed ~ you are very kind. I'm glad to be able to entertain you. After all, without praise, authors would never bother to show our work to anyone!  
  
  
  
1 Part II  
  
The Day After Happily Ever After  
  
  
  
The next morning, Lizzie was seated on the bus staring out the window but not really seeing anything. She had been looking forward to this trip for a long time, but now that she had just started a new relationship with Gordo, she was reluctant to leave. Miranda still hadn't shown up, and Lizzie began to wonder if she had really gone home right away last night. As for herself and Gordo, they had gone straight home. Why not, after all, as Gordo was to stay the night at the McGuire's house anyway? They could go home and be together, so why go anywhere else?  
  
But, as it turned out, Gordo was exhausted after the full day he had had, and much as he would have liked to stay up to talk (and kiss) with Lizzie, he could barely keep his eyes open. They made hot chocolate and sat on the couch, wrapped in each other's arms, feeling the warmth and felicity of just being together. Finally, Gordo started to say something, and then just trailed off midsentence. Lizzie looked at his sleeping face, and wondered what had taken her so long to come to her senses. He looked so.adorable, so peaceful; almost childlike with his thick dark curtain of lashes falling across his cheek. She fingered his raven curls, and kissed his forehead. He woke with a start, "Oh, oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to fall asleep."  
  
"It's ok, Gordo. You've had a really long day."  
  
He smiled sleepily and said, "But it's been the best day of my life." Unintentionally, he opened his mouth in a huge yawn, then said, "Sorry, Beautiful. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak."  
  
She kissed him and said, "Let's get you to bed."  
  
She did just that. By that time, Jo had washed Matt's clothes, and had washed Gordo's along with them. He put on clean boxers and a t-shirt, and brushed his teeth while Lizzie turned down his bed and fluffed his pillows. When he came out, she tucked him in and kissed him good night. She would have loved to climb in and fall asleep in his arms, but decided that it would not put her mother in favor of the relationship when she found them in the morning. By the time she turned for one last look at him before closing the door, he was long gone in dreamland. Little did she know of the dreams he was having, a continuation of the ones he had had earlier; dreams of himself and Lizzie, a home of their own, their future happiness together assured.  
  
We can all dream.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Lizzie was startled out of her reverie by the sound of Miranda boarding the bus. She plopped down in the seat next to Lizzie, a smile on her face but sleep still in her eyes. Her hair was pulled back into a rather boring ponytail, compared to Miranda's usual whimsical style. She had obviously not spent much time getting ready. Lizzie grinned at her friend, "Morning, Sleepyhead! You went back to sleep after I called you, didn't you?"  
  
Miranda smiled sheepishly, "Yeah, I stayed up kinda late last night."  
  
Lizzie raised her brows, "Last night, or this morning?"  
  
"Well, we did end up going to the Bean last night for a drink and a few dances. We didn't want Ethan to have to go all by himself, or to go home." Miranda said. Then, not wanting to make Lizzie feel guilty, she added, "But you know, he's ok. He had a great time dancing, and by midnight it was all over the place that he was a free agent again. So he had his usual harem back."  
  
"Minus us."  
  
"Minus us. What a difference a year makes, huh?"  
  
Claire, Kate, and the rest of the cheerleaders got noisily onto the bus, acting as usual like they owned the place. Except that Lizzie noticed that Kate was oddly silent. On their way to the back , Claire stopped and smirked at Lizzie, "Guess Ethan finally came to his senses and dumped you, huh?"  
  
Miranda sprung out of her seat, black eyes snapping, and challenged her eye- to-eye, "You know that's not what happened, and so does everyone else! Lizzie dumped." Lizzie pulled her down to the seat and shook her head at her friend.  
  
"Thanks, but I won't do that to him. I don't care what Claire thinks, anyway." Besides, that whole group had been there when Gordo brought Lizzie to the bus stop this morning, and couldn't have missed the goodbye kiss he gave her. That left little doubt as to what had really happened.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~  
  
He made sure he was up early enough to be the one to see her off. Lizzie told him he should sleep in, and that he and Matt could pick her car up at the bus stop later, but he wouldn't hear of it. He carried her gear out to her car (his truck still smelled pretty bad, despite his having left the windows open all night) while she dressed and ate breakfast. When they reached the parking lot, he helped her carry her stuff to the bus. The "Bimbo Squad" as Gordo called them, was standing around talking ("Like, Oh My God, I can't believe that I have to go a whole week without blow dryer!"),waiting till the last minute to get on the bus and knowing that no one would dare to take their sacred seats in the back.  
  
Gordo looked longingly at Lizzie and said, " I can't believe I just got you and already have to let you go."  
  
"I know, but it's only for a week. We have the rest of our lives to be together."  
  
He eyed the cheerleaders warily and asked her, "Can I kiss you goodbye?"  
  
"You'd better! Anyway, I'm sure news about last night was all over town by midnight."  
  
So Gordo kissed her. Deep and soft and slow, so that she felt her whole body tingle. He wanted to get a week's worth of kisses into that one short moment, so that she wouldn't forget about him while she was gone. Like that would happen.  
  
Finally, they reluctantly separated. "Bye, Lizzie. I'll be waiting for you on Sunday."  
  
"Bye, Gordo."  
  
"Hey, Lizzie!"  
  
She turned back to face him.  
  
"I love you."  
  
" I love you, too, Gordo."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~  
  
Claire continued to make her way to the back, but wasn't done with her snotty remarks, "Well, I see you hooked up with the Loser, just like you should have a long time ago."  
  
Miranda was seething, but Lizzie just let it go. "Are you going to just let her be like.like. like.that to you???"  
  
"Oh, Miranda, who cares? Claire is only important in her own mind, and with her little "posse." I have what I want to make me happy, and so do you. So, who cares what they think?"  
  
That really was the truth. Lines of popularity changed quite a bit since jr. high. There was always the "In Crowd" which consisted of athletes and cheerleaders, but most people had found their own niche and didn't care so much about being a part of it. Lizzie had, in fact made the cheerleading squad one year. She found that she was pretty good at it, having been good at rythmic gymnastics, and that it was fun. But she didn't like the company she had to keep for it, so she quit after a year.  
  
Since then, she found that she was good at graphic art, painting, and foreign languages. She also decided to try rythmic gymnastics again, and decided that she did like it after all. She had won several medals now, which gave her some celebrity at school. And of course, Miranda had her singing. Since the band was making a name for themselves, she even had a little fan club, and people at school were starting to copy the way she dressed. And then there was Gordo, who was student director and head cameraman for the morning news at school. So, they had all found their own thing, and didn't care what Claire's crowd thought of them. Not that Gordo ever did.  
  
She wrinkled her nose and then put on a smug smile, "Besides, that "Loser" has enough embarrassing footage of her on tape to make her life miserable."  
  
The bus finally pulled out of the parking lot, and Miranda started telling her about the events of the previous night, but was yawning frequently, so the telling was slow. Not Miranda's usual million-miles-a-minute- conversation. Finally, she gave up and went to sleep, first on Lizzie's shoulder, then lying across her lap. Ordinarily, Lizzie would have been disappointed, but right now she wanted to think about her new relationship, so she was kind of relieved. She didn't notice how quiet Kate had been among her giggling, gossiping group, or that she had been staring at the back of Lizzie's head. Lizzie was just watching the scenery go by, lost in her thoughts, and getting pretty drowsy herself.  
  
Suddenly, Kate was in the seat in front of her, asking if they could talk. Lizzie blinked at her for a minute, confused. While Kate had dropped the outright animosity toward her several years back (maybe when Lizzie joined the cheerleading squad, but she couldn't remember), they had never been the kind of acquaintances to chat with each other, especially within Claire's viewing. "Sure, Kate. What do you want?"  
  
Kate didn't say anything for a minute. Lizzie expected the old, "Look, this doesn't mean we're going to be friends" speech, but she didn't get it. Instead, Kate finally looked at her and asked, "Is it true about you and Ethan? I mean, that you broke up with him?"  
  
Lizzie eyed her suspiciously, wondering what little game that group was going to play, but answered, "Yes."  
  
Again, Kate was silent. She knew what she wanted. She just didn't know how to put it into words. She tried, "Do you think he would take me back now?" Oops, that came out wrong. "I mean, if you didn't mind. You don't seem to upset about it, and you have Gordo now."  
  
"Uh, yeah. It's ok. We were never really in love. We just liked spending time together." She was still confused. "Kate, why do you want to know? I thought you were done with high school boys. I thought you just wanted to date college guys now."  
  
Kate glanced nervously at the back of the bus. "I do. I mean." she buried her face in her hands, and her voice shook badly. "Oh, god, I hate my life."  
  
Lizzie just stared at Kate, and realized she was crying. She couldn't help but feel sorry for her, as she watched the sobs wrack her body, and spidery mascara lines start to run down her face. And in typical Lizzie fashion, she wanted to do something to help. She got her bag, took out a wet wipe and a couple of sodas she had stowed for the trip. She got up and gently laid Miranda's head on her bag, then took the drinks and moved up into the seat next to Kate.  
  
Handing Kate one of the cans, she said, "Ok, go ahead and spill. I won't tell anyone."  
  
Kate accepted the can and took a few sips of the cold fizzy liquid. When she finally spoke, she had her voice under control again. 


	2. All I have to show for my life is a rhin...

I don't own Lizzie McGuire, or any of it's characters, and am making no profit from this story monetarily or otherwise. Yada, yada, yada.  
  
  
  
"Lizzie, what are you going to do when you graduate?"  
  
Lizzie was wondering for a minute if they were having the same conversation. What did this have to do with Ethan, or the college boys Kate had been spending time with? "Well, I think I'm going on a trip to Disney World with Gordo, Miranda, and Danny. Then I guess I'm going to study Foreign Policy in college. Why?"  
  
"You have the whole world open to you. You have good grades, so you can do what ever you want to do. And you have good friends who stand by you and support you no matter what. And everyone actually likes you. I mean, really likes you. People pretend to like me because I am popular and a cheerleader, but they don't really like me as a person. And I know that if I stopped cheerleading, my "friends" would dump me in a heartbeat."  
  
Lizzie was watching Kate, trying to see her side of this story. It was a little hard, since it was coming from someone who had been fairly bitchy for the last seven years. I mean, there was a reason people "didn't really like her as a person."  
  
"I've spent the last 7 years of my life alienating most of my old friends, and devoting my life to people who care more about the color of my nail polish than about who I am. My grades are ok, but they won't get me into Harvard. In fact, I'm hoping they'll get me into a state school. I may be stuck here at the community college for a couple of years before I can go anywhere. While everyone else goes off to start a whole new life." Her voice was starting to shake again, so she took a couple more sips of the soda to calm herself. "I'm not stupid, you know. It's not like I couldn't have gotten good grades if I had tried."  
  
Lizzie said quietly, " I know, Kate. I remember the Factathalon."  
  
Kate looked at Lizzie for a minute, having a strange sort of Deja Vu moment. Claire would not want to sit patiently and listen to her bawl. "Yeah, whatever, Kate. Like, what are you going to wear to the Prom?" She thought of when they were kids, and how she and Lizzie had always been such good friends back then.  
  
"So, I'm standing there on stage at the football Homecoming Dance in October, about to be crowned Homecoming Queen, and I realize that this might be "It." This might be the highlight of my life. Pretty soon, we'd graduate, and I would have nothing to show for my life but a rhinestone tiara and some dead roses. I looked at Ethan standing next to me with that goofy smile on his face, and I just couldn't do it anymore. So I dumped him. I went to a party at my cousin's Fraternity, and had a great time. I got to go as a whole new person, that noone knew. I could start all over. And I liked the college guys. They were fun to hang out and party with. And they seemed so much more mature." She was finally regaining some of her composure, so Lizzie handed her the wet wipe. Kate wiped her face, ridding herself of most of the spider lines.  
  
She sniffed a little, "But college guys also expect more out of you than high school guys, and they want it faster. And since I'm not the popular cheerleader there that I am here, if I didn't give them what they wanted, they would just find someone who would."  
  
Lizzie looked at her, but didn't know what to say. She finally said quietly, "So, did you…?"  
  
Kate laughed bitterly, "No, but I almost did."  
  
"What stopped you?"  
  
"His girlfriend that he forgot to tell me about. She came to his room, and he made me hide in the closet. Naked!" She covered her face again, "Oh, god, how cliché! How humiliating!" She turned her face to Lizzie, who handed her another wipe. " I swore I would never tell anyone."  
  
Lizzie couldn't help herself, "So, what happened next? Did his girlfriend find you?"  
  
"No, she didn't. I decided, though, that I wasn't going to let him get away with this. I was not about to let him jerk her and me both around. So, I took a deep breath and stepped out of the closet, absolutely naked. I said, "I guess you won't be needing that blow job from me now that she's here to give it to you!" I grabbed my clothes and dressed while they sat there with their mouths wide open, and left. I heard something crash as I closed the door."  
  
Lizzie couldn't help herself. She was rocking with silent laughter, trying desperately to hide it from Kate, who had been very serious up to this point. Kate caught on, though, and just stared at her for a minute. Then she started laughing, too. It really was pretty funny.  
  
"I'm sorry Kate, but it really is funny! You rock! I'm really glad you didn't just cower in the closet and cover for that jerk! And I'm glad you didn't lose your…um…were you a virgin?"  
  
"Yeah, I was. Ethan and I were going to…you know… the night of Homecoming. But then I decided to dump him…"  
  
"So, you want him back now."  
  
"Yes, I do."  
  
Lizzie furrowed her brow. "So, why didn't you just take him from me?"  
  
Kate looked down at her hands in her lap. She seemed to be wrestling with something. At length, she said, "I tried."  
  
"You did?"  
  
"Yeah, I did. I put on my sexiest dress, and went to see him. Ethan wasn't interested. He said he liked being with you."  
  
Lizzie frowned again. She didn't know what to say to that. Ethan had liked her enough to turn down Kate. If she didn't feel so bad for Kate at the moment, she probably would have felt a little smug about that. But the fact that Kate was so miserable, and that she might have hurt Ethan more than she thought kept her from feeling good at all.  
  
"Um, Kate, I don't know if this will help at all, but he did tell me something when we were…uh…breaking up."  
  
"What?"  
  
"He said that he liked that his girlfriend was nice to him for a change, and that I actually pretended to listen to him when he talked."  
  
Kate glared at Lizzie, but Lizzie went on, "Look, I'm not trying to hurt your feelings or tell you what to do. I just thought telling you might help."  
  
Kate regarded her thoughtfully for a minute. "You're right, thanks."  
  
[pic] 


	3. See how much easier this is when you wor...

I don't own Lizzie McGuire, or any of it's characters, and am making no profit from this story monetarily or otherwise. Yada, yada, yada.  
  
  
  
The bus pulled into the base camp at a little after noon, where they had lunch waiting for the girls. After lunch, they gathered their gear and headed off to the lodge. Their room was like a barracks, with rows of double bunk beds all along two walls. This was to be their room for only the first night, and for the rest of the week they would be camping and sleeping in tents.  
  
The rest of the day was spent learning the basics about setting up camp, setting up tents, hiking, and canoeing from the head park ranger, Ranger Walker. He was in his late 40's, with tanned skin, an impressive build, and hair that was going grey at the temples. The girls thought he was pretty attractive, for an old guy.  
  
At night after dinner they had a campfire, and all packs were checked to make sure they had all the essentials. They were also checked to make sure they had no food or gum with them. Ranger Walker explained that bears, raccoons, and other wild creatures can smell food and will do anything to get to it. When they finally climbed into their sleeping bags, they were all so exhausted that no one, not even Lizzie and Miranda, talked after lights out.  
  
They woke the next morning to a bugle playing Reverie. Lizzie checked her watch and saw that it was 7am. Ugh! She climbed out of bed and rolled up her sleeping bag. She had to shake Miranda several times to get her to wake up, because she was a very sound sleeper. Just when Lizzie was about to pull Miranda and her mattress off onto the floor, she finally showed signs of life. She rubbed her eyes and looked around, as if she couldn't remember where she was.  
  
"Wake up, Sleepy!" Lizzie grinned.  
  
"You know, you're way too cheerful in the morning!" Miranda complained.  
  
"Get used to it. You're going to have to look at my face every morning in the fall when we go to college." Miranda groaned and threw her pillow at Lizzie.  
  
The goal that day was to make their way down river to their first campsite, set up camp, and cook their dinner. Easy enough. They had their lunch packed for them. Claire and crew picked at their breakfast, complaining about all the fat, and saying that they "didn't eat" bacon. Mrs. Mac told them that they'd better eat because it was all they were going to get except for water until lunch, and that was a long time away. They didn't listen, but everyone else did.  
  
By the time they reached their campsite, it was late afternoon, and all they wanted to do was sprawl out on the banks of the river and die. They were wet and hungry, and every muscle in their bodies hurt: in short, they were exhausted. The Bimbo squad had realized the error of being picky about their breakfast by about 9:30 am, and whined until they finally stopped for lunch at noon. Luckily, lunch was already made for them. Dinner was not. And there was no barracks to sleep in.  
  
They tied down their canoes, and started to unload. Claire seemed to think that she didn't have to pitch in and help with setting up camp and dinner prep. Ms. Mac just ignored her, and while no one thought it was fair that Claire should be able to lie around while they worked, they didn't have the energy to protest. Besides, they all new Ms. Mac, and they didn't think she would let the little prima donna get off so easily.  
  
When dinner was finally served, Claire went to find her pack and get her mess kit. She found her pack outside the tent she was to share with Kate. She got her utensils and joined everyone in line, but Ms. Mac told her, "I'm sorry, Claire, but you didn't help to prepare the dinner or set up camp. If you don't work, you don't eat."  
  
Claire whined, "But I'm hungry and tired."  
  
"We all are Claire. Did you think you were the only one to paddle a canoe all day? Why don't you ask everyone else how they feel about you taking it easy while they worked?" Ms. Mac told her sternly.  
  
"You can't do this! My father…"  
  
"Your father isn't here, Claire. And my guess is that if he had seen you laying around while everyone else worked, he would back me up. You can tell him all about it when you get home, and you can send him to talk to me. Now, I suggest you go try and talk to Kate about letting you share the tent she put up without your help."  
  
Claire stomped off. Miranda could barely contain her laughter while she watched the exchange. After Claire was gone, Lizzie asked, "Ms. Mac, are you really not going to let her eat?"  
  
Ms. Mac smirked, "It won't kill her to miss a meal. She could do with a little humility. But I may let her have some leftovers if she agrees to clean all the cooking pots after dinner.  
  
Everyone agreed that this was the best food they had ever tasted. At that point, they would have eaten the boxes the food came in. They didn't pay any more attention to Claire until Miranda elbowed Lizzie and pointed to the girl, carrying a pot of water over to heat on the stove. They giggled. "Guess she won't starve." Lizzie observed.  
  
"Good. I didn't want to listen to her whine all night."  
  
As it turned out, Kate did let her sleep in the tent, but only after everyone had told enough bear and "lunatic in the woods" stories to scare Claire half to death. She begged Kate, who finally said she could sleep in the tent only if she broke camp the next day by herself. Ms Mac couldn't resist adding, "See how much easier it is to work together, than to have to do it all by yourself?" 


	4. Claire, where is your partner?

I don't own Lizzie McGuire, or any of it's characters, and am making no profit from this story monetarily or otherwise. Yada, yada, yada.  
  
  
  
The girls rose early the next morning. If they had thought they were sore the day before, it was nothing to what they felt after a night of sleeping on the hard ground. Still, they all had to agree that they were having a great time. It was hard work, but the scenery was so beautiful, and not having phones and tv and all the other noise that came with their usual everyday lives was very relaxing. And paddling the canoes made them sore, but it also felt really good to use their muscles.  
  
Ms. Mac, who regularly practiced yoga, led them in a series of "Sun Salutations," which stretched the whole body. They were amazed at how much better their tired muscles felt when they were done, and at how much energy it gave them. They all broke camp and got ready to move on. Claire actually took down the tent she and Kate shared without complaint, and cleaned their area.  
  
Kate, who could have slacked off, actually helped with the other chores instead. This amazed everyone, except maybe Lizzie. She was dying to tell Miranda about the conversation she and Kate had had on the bus, but felt a strange loyalty to Kate to keep her secret and tell no one. Even Miranda. Lizzie watched Kate pitch in and try to blend in with the group, and thought that maybe, just maybe, the old old Kate ~ the one she they used to share all their secrets with ~ might be coming back.. She shook herself. Probably not. As soon as they got back to school, it would be business as usual, she was sure.  
  
The rest of the day was pretty much like the last one, except that Claire seemed to have learned her lesson. Also, they were a little more acclimated to the long day and hard work, so spent more time around the campfire that night. Ms. Mac told them that they would be staying at that campsite for another day and night, and that tomorrow they would be going on a hike. They would pair off and use the skills they had learned the first day to follow a marked trail. She reminded them of the importance of staying on the path and about the snakes and other creatures they might encounter if they strayed off the path. After that, they talked and told stories and sang and made s'mores before calling it a night.  
  
The next morning, when they woke, they found that Ms. Mac and her TA, Miss Rodriguez had gotten up before them and were already off marking the trails. Kate started some "Sun Salutations," and soon, most of the group was following along with her. They made breakfast, and were ready to eat when the Ms. Mac and Ms. Rodriguez returned.  
  
Ms. Mac told the girls she was very pleased with them and the progress they had made. She was confident that they would enjoy themselves on their hike, and said that they would be given a card with either red or green on it. The ones with the green cards would take the green trail, and the ones with the red cards would take the red trail. They were to follow the trail, using the colored ribbons to guide them. Each pair had a guide book which identified plants and animals indigenous to the area, and they were to mark down at least ten that they saw along the way. The trails were very simple, and she would see them back at camp with lunch ready for them.  
  
At noon, they all met back at camp, famished and ready to eat the next bear that wandered across their path. All, except Kate and Claire. No one worried too much, though, since they were the last to leave. Finally, Claire showed up without Kate.  
  
Ms. Mac asked, "Claire, where is your partner?"  
  
Claire looked confused, "Didn't she come back here?"  
  
"No. You two were to stay together. That's why we go in pairs. Didn't you two stay on the path?" Ms. Mac was trying to stay calm, but her voice was starting to rise.  
  
"Well, I saw a snake. Kate said she didn't think it was poisonous, but I didn't care. I ran. I must have gotten off the path, because I ended up in the middle of a bunch of trees. But I followed the river, and found the green ribbons and followed them here.  
  
"So, Kate is still out there somewhere, probably looking for you?"  
  
Claire hung her head and muttered, "I guess so."  
  
Ms. Mac said, "Go eat! Who's done eating? I need someone to come with me to look for Kate."  
  
Lizzie volunteered, much to Miranda's amazement. "Miranda, I can't imagine Kate out there all by herself. I would be so scared if I were her!"  
  
Miranda decided she would go, too, but Ms. Mac told her to stay. She didn't want anyone else to account for in an emergency situation. She told Ms. R to see to it that everyone stayed put and said that they could keep in touch with the radio. She then asked Claire where she had last seen Kate, and she and Lizzie set off down the trail.  
  
They headed down the trail, calling for Kate, and trying to find some sign of her being there. They had gone about 2 miles and were crossing a stream when two things happened: First, the Ms. Mac slipped on a rock, and there was a loud cracking sound. Her knee began to swell rapidly.  
  
"Oh, my…" Lizzie was about to ask is she was ok, but it seemed like an unbelievably stupid question. "What can I do?"  
  
Ms. Mac was in excruciating pain. "I'm going to need a splint and probably a stretcher to get back to camp. I'll call back to camp and get some help."  
  
Lizzie, with Ms. Mac's help, soaked some bandages with cold water from the stream, and and bound the swelling knee. She searched for some sturdy tree branches, but couldn't find any that would do the job. She did, however, find a neon green water bottle sling.  
  
She ran back to Ms. Mac. "This is Kate's! She's the only one with a sling this color. She has to have been here!"  
  
When help arrived, they bound Ms. Mac's wounded leg to her other one with some bandages, and rigged up a blanket sled to pull her back to camp. Lizzie told them to go on without her, because she had to check out the spot where she had found the bottle.  
  
"Lizzie, you can't stay here by yourself."  
  
"Well, I'm not going to go and leave Kate out here alone. I found her water bottle in the woods. That can't be a good sign."  
  
In the end Miranda, who had arrived with the help crew, was assigned to stay with her best friend. They were told to stay close to the path, and wait till the Ranger arrived to help them out. Ms. Mac handed Lizzie her radio, and made sure she knew how to use it before finally letting the girls take her back to the camp.  
  
When they were gone, Lizzie turned to go back to where she had found the bottle. Miranda followed, and soon found a little keychain Kate always carried, with a heart-shaped frame and a picture of her dog. "Oh, wow, this is not good."  
  
The looked some more, and found a tube of chap stick, and realized that they seemed to be following a sort of trail Kate had made for herself. Miranda thought they shouldn't go any farther until the Ranger got there, but Lizzie said Kate might be hurt and she wasn't going to wait. They finally decided to continue, but they would leave the "trail," intact so they could follow it back themselves. They put the keychain and the chapstick back where they had found it, and moved on.  
  
They hadn't gone too far when they saw a cabin ahead of them. They were about to run towards I when they saw man with a gun come out the front door, dragging a young girl by the hair. Her hands were bound behind her with duct tape. He was speaking to her in a stern voice, and when she answered, he hit her across her already swollen face. He shoved her into an outhouse, and growled something to her. He then stood guard on the little structure as if he were a sentry.  
  
The two girls dove behind a hedge of low growing foliage. "Oh, my god! That's Kate!"  
  
Lizzie whispered in a panicked voice.  
  
"I know that's what she was wearing this morning, but her face is a mess. What do we do?"  
  
"Let me think. We can't let him find us, and we have to rescue Kate." Lizzie's mind was racing, "Ok, you go back to the path and see if the Ranger is there. I'm going to stay here and make sure he doesn't kill Kate. When you get to the path, radio for help from the police. If we do that here, he might hear us."  
  
"Lizzie, I'm not leaving you here!"  
  
"You have to, Miranda. It's Kate's only hope."  
  
Miranda looked into Lizzie's eyes for a long moment, first with concern, then with resolve, "Ok, but you don't be a hero. You wait till we get here unless he's going to shoot Kate." Lizzie nodded. "Promise!" she held out her pinkie.  
  
Lizzie joined pinkies with her, but then Miranda threw her arms around her and hugged her. They looked out from around the hedge, and saw the pair headed back into the house. Without another word, Miranda crept from their cover, and dashed toward the path. 


	5. Meanwhile, back at home

I don't own Lizzie McGuire, or any of it's characters, and am making no profit from this story monetarily or otherwise. Yada, yada, yada.  
  
Ok, blink, just because you took the time to write me such a kind and insightful review…this chapter is for you. Thank you all for your encouragement. I'm far from being done.  
  
  
  
Back at home and completely unaware of the events surrounding his soul mate, Gordo found himself restless and bored. He hated that he had absolutely no way of contacting Lizzie, and it was making him crazy. Never, in the entire history of their friendship, could he think of a time when he couldn't just pick up the phone and talk to her if he wanted to. Well, there had been vacations and trips to camp, but even then they usually talked at least once. Now, after all these years of loving her in silence, when he was finally free to say "I love you," he couldn't. Every night he sat on the porch at night and gazed at the sky, thinking that they were at least under the same moon. "Goodnight, Beautiful. I love you and I can't wait till you're back in my arms where you belong," he whispered to the moon.  
  
The second day Lizzie was gone, Matt stopped over to see Gordo. He was definitely feeling better. Gordo was sitting on the porch with his orange juice, reading the paper.  
  
"Hey!"  
  
"Hey, Matt. How you feeling?"  
  
"I'm doing much better, thanks." He just stood there for a minute. "Uh, Gordo, I just want to say thank you for what you did. You saved me. I owe you big."  
  
"No, you don't. That's what friends do. Want some juice, coffee, something?"  
  
"Juice would be good. I can get it."  
  
Matt went and got himself a glass and brought the pitcher outside. He filled his glass and Gordo's and sat down. "You told her, didn't you?"  
  
"Yeah." Very cool.  
  
"Well…?"  
  
"She loves me, too." Gordo couldn't help himself. He broke out into a big, stupid, very un-cool grin.  
  
"It's about time. So, does this mean I get to be your brother some day?"  
  
Another stupid grin, "I hope so."  
  
"So, bro, wanna hang? You know, go to the mall or the downtown shops or something?"  
  
"Yeah, I do. I'm about to go out of my mind with boredom. Thanks."  
  
They decided to go downtown, to an old section that had been revitalized into artsy shops, places to eat, a theater, etc. Matt wanted to find a couple of baseball cards to add to his collection, and Gordo thought he might find a present for Lizzie.  
  
One of the hobby shops that carried baseball cards also had minerals, gems, and crystals. While Matt was busy perusing books full of cards, Gordo examined the glass display cases with gems and crystals. A glint of blue caught his eye, and he turned to see a heart shaped stone that was the exact color of Lizzie's eyes. He asked to see it out of the case, and the clerk told him it was a sapphire and laid it on a white velvet pad. She told him that it was 1.10 carats, and that it was an Australian blue.  
  
It was beautiful, clear blue with a hint of violet. It shone brilliantly, just like Lizzie's eyes had when they confessed their love for one another. He knew he was being corny, but he couldn't help it. Being in love does that to a guy.  
  
He knew it was fate that that they had come into that shop, that he had seen that stone. He knew it was for Lizzie, and that it was for him to give to her. "But what will I do with it? I can't just give her a loose sapphire." He didn't realize that he was thinking out loud until the clerk answered him, "Well, you could have it set into a ring or a pendant. Or, you could do it yourself."  
  
Gordo looked up, "I don't know how to make jewelry.  
  
"Well, if you're interested, we teach jewelry making classes here. As it happens, we're starting one tomorrow, and it goes for four weeks, every Wednesday night at 7pm. You should be able to design and pour a nice ring in that amount of time. If you buy the stone and metal for the ring here, we'll throw in the class for free."  
  
That struck Gordo as being the perfect idea. It would be something to use some of the free time he had on his hands, and he could make a beautiful gift for Lizzie. He bought the stone and signed up right away. It wasn't inexpensive, but he had plenty saved up from doing camera work for the local tv station and designing web sites.  
  
When Matt finished his search, and was happily clutching his purchase of two of the cards he needed to complete his collection, he wandered over to see what Gordo had been doing. Gordo exhibited the stone, and Matt pursed his lips in a low whistle. "What are you going to do with that?"  
  
"I'm sorry, friend, I'm not telling." He smiled, thanked the clerk, and left the shop.  
  
Matt pestered and pried, but Gordo wouldn't budge. "Come on! You can trust me!"  
  
"I know. But I'm still not telling you." 


	6. Where is a rescue dog when you need it?

Despite wishes to the contrary, I don't own Lizzie McGuire, or any of it's characters, and am making no profit from this story monetarily or otherwise. Yada, yada, yada.  
  
  
  
This was not turning out to be a good day. Lizzie was sitting alone in the woods watching a cabin with, at the very least, a kidnapper with a gun in it. And a very battered and scared friend. Well, maybe Kate wasn't her friend, but Lizzie was at this moment, the best friend she had. But on this side of the mountain, the sun was already very low, and it was getting dark. To make matters worse, a thick fog was beginning to roll in. Lizzie hugged her legs to her chest. She was starting to feel chilled, and the ground was wet.  
  
What would Gordo do? She wished with all her being that he were there. He would know what to do. He always did. He was her rock. At the very least, he would put his arms around her and warm her with his body. Mmmmm…what a body. The thought of his strong arms around her sent a surge of warmth through her body. Her mind wandered to thoughts of what they would be doing together, and to the two of them in front of a fire in a cozy cabin…  
  
Her thoughts were interrupted by the report of a gun and a shrill, terrified scream. Lizzie blood chilled and her breath caught in her throat. She looked up to see that the cabin was almost entirely obscured by the fog. She could still make out the shape of the building, but just barely. Her first instinct was to run towards it to see if Kate was ok, but she held herself back. She would do Kate no good by getting caught herself.  
  
"What would Gordo do? What would Gordo do?" she thought frantically. She took a deep breath, and tried to remember what Ms. Mac had taught them about controlling their breathing. "He wouldn't panic. He would…go find help. But there is no one to help. If there were, they would be here by now. And Kate might not have time for me to wait." Ok, she felt her way along the hedge, which got her closer to the cabin, and then jumped as she saw something dart past her.  
  
*Just a squirrel. Get a grip! Ok, maybe that helps a little. The squirrel didn't set of an alarm or alert a dog. Of course, the dog could just be used to squirrels, or the alarm might be silent…* She closed her eyes and took another deep breath. She edged her way toward a lighted window. So far so good. No sound of alert came from the cabin. She steeled herself. She remembered when they were children, and she and Gordo and Miranda and Kate would pretend to be secret agents. They practiced for hours walking without a sound. The ultimate test was being able to creep silently into the kitchen and swipe the cookie jar without the mother's noticing. They got pretty good at it, too. Or maybe the moms just let them think they did. Come to think of it, they probably should have been suspicious that the cookies always divided equally among the number of kids playing the game. Still, they had been pretty quiet. But then, they weren't wearing hiking boots, and they didn't have a forest floor with leaves and twigs and pinecones crunching underfoot to walk on. She thought briefly about taking her boots off, but decided that it might make a getaway much more difficult.  
  
Where were Miranda and the Ranger? God, it was getting cold.  
  
Ok, it's now or never. Literally. One more deep breath, and she left the safety of the hedge and darted as quietly as she could to the cabin, just to the side of the window. She flattened herself against the wall, and peered inside. The room was well lit, so she could see inside quite well. It was fairly nicely furnished, with a nice couch and chair, coffee table, round table and chairs, and a fireplace. Two things were extraordinary about it though ~ one was that it had an amazing amount of electronic equipment for a cabin in the woods. There was a state of the art audiovisual system, and a giant screen tv. The other remarkable thing was that the entire room was littered with empty beer bottles, cigarette butts and ashes, and greasy take out containers. On the couch lounged a man, probably in his late 20's, who might have been good looking if he hadn't been so obviously inebriated. He had a very muscular build, but he was losing the definition in his abdominals to all the beer. He was watching something on the big screen, but Lizzie was at an angle that she couldn't see what it was.  
  
Remembering the shot she had heard, Lizzie tried to see if he had signs of blood on him, but couldn't make any out from where she was. She knew there had to be at least one more man there; since the guy on the couch wasn't the guy she had seen dragging Kate by the hair. She knew she was going to have to find another window. *Oh, God, help me. What am I doing here?*  
  
*You're helping Kate. She won't make it out of here without you!* she told herself sternly. She began to creep along the wall toward another window she had seen earlier. She could see very little now, especially not the window, as it was not lit. She ran her hands along the building, and finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she found what she was looking for. This window was smaller, and higher up on the wall, but she was able to pull herself up enough to see that there was no way she could have seen into it. It was completely blacked out with paint and foil. *Grrrrrrr! That must be where Kate is!*  
  
She sunk down onto the ground to consider what to do next. Should she break the window? *Great idea. Then you can try to drag Kate out before they come after you both with that big gun. Ok, bad idea.*  
  
While she was sitting there thinking, she became aware of the sound of someone weeping. She held very still and listened. The sound wasn't coming from the sealed window. It was coming from close by, though. She fought the urge to move quickly, and started edging again along the wall. Almost immediately she came to a vent, and the sounds became louder. She knew there was no way she would fit through the vent, but there had to be another window close by. She came to the corner of the house, and stayed pressed against the wall as she followed it around. Sure enough, there was a dimly lit window about two feet from the corner. Still against the wall, she peered inside. It was mostly dark, but she could make out the shapes of a couple of girls ~ one on a bed, the other curled up in a fetal position on the floor, sobs wracking her slight body. The one on the bed, which she was pretty sure was Kate, was trying vainly to comfort the other girl. She got awkwardly off the bed, her wrists still bound behind her back, and got onto her knees next to the sobbing creature.  
  
Lizzie was just about to try the window when she saw a light go on in the hallway that led to the room. Lizzie ducked back, but kept her eyes on the room. A light went on in the room, and the man she had seen earlier with Kate came in with a tray of bowls. "Eat! And make it quick!" he growled. He leered at Kate, and sneered, "You're next, Baby."  
  
Kate meekly tried to protest, "How can I eat with my hands bound?"  
  
He laughed a very nasty snicker, and said, "How does a dog eat?" and walked out of the room.  
  
She saw the tears fall from Kate's eyes, and the uncertainty and humiliation on her face. Lizzie couldn't watch. In all the years she had seen Kate be the bitchy, self-important queen that she was, she couldn't have wished this. Not even the time she had humiliated Lizzie in front of the whole school at that pep rally.  
  
*Ok, Lizzie, time to stop being a wimp, and get her out of here. * She looked back into the window, and saw that there were several girls in there, huddled in various parts of the room. The only two who seemed to be awake, though, were the ones she had first seen. No screens, thank goodness. Her luck couldn't' hold out, though. If the window wasn't unlocked, she could hardly expect Kate to open it with her hands still bound behind her back. She gave it a tentative push, and was amazed when it slid quietly open. She said silent thanks for the tv in the other room being so loud, but she wasn't going to count on it. She slid it open just a foot, and squeezed in.  
  
Kate was starting to try to eat the vile stuff in the bowl, when Lizzie entered the room. She looked up and gaped at her. Lizzie watched her bruised, swollen face mouth silently, "What are you doing here?" She didn't answer.  
  
As quietly as she could, she said, "Don't eat that! Look at these girls. They have to be drugged!" She took her pocket knife and cut the tape on Kate's wrists. Kate closed her eyes as they flooded with tears of relief. She rubbed her wrists and started to say something, but Lizzie held her finger to her lips.  
  
She motioned to the girl on the floor, and pointed to the window. The two of them went over to the girl, and gently tried to get her to a sitting position. Her face looked familiar, but Lizzie couldn't place it. She did notice that the girl was covered with fresh blood and bruises. She felt bile rise in her throat, but pushed it down. *You can throw up later!* When they finally got the girl's attention, they pointed toward the window.  
  
The girl looked confused at first, then nodded. Lizzie and Kate helped her to the window, and helped her to squeeze out. Kate was half-way out when Lizzie realized that she only had on a long black t-shirt. She also heard the sound of a motor getting very close. Was it the Ranger, or was it someone else who lived here. A frightened whimper from the nameless girl convinced Lizzie that time was of the essence here, and she pushed Kate out the window, and quickly climbed onto the sill herself. She shot a reluctant glance at the other girls slumped around the room, but told herself that help would soon be here. Just as she was landing on the ground below, she heard the engine cut, and a door open and slam shut. A man shouted for the other two men, and then the ear splitting sound of a semi-automatic rifle rang out through the air. Lizzie and the other two girls fled from the structure, just as it exploded into flames. The blast carried a shockwave that forced the girls forward, and they all fell to the ground.  
  
The girls lay there, stunned, but apparently unhurt. It had started to rain, and the ground was cold and wet. Kate started to get up, but Lizzie pulled her back down just in time to see the two men, running around the burning structure, shining flashlights. The three stayed flattened to the ground, hardly daring to breathe.  
  
"I'm sure I saw someone run this way. More than one person!" they heard one man shout.  
  
"Probably just a couple of deer!" the other answered.  
  
"I've never seen a deer with that color hair!"  
  
"How can you tell in this fog?"  
  
"The fire burned off the fog. I saw them all right. I don't know how they got away, but we can't leave witnesses. They've seen our faces."  
  
Lizzie realized she was holding her breath. She slowly reached behind her head and pulled the dark hood of her sweatshirt over her bright gold hair. She looked at Kate, who seemed to read her mind. Kate pulled the neck of the t-shirt over her blond head as well, so that only her face could be seen through the neck hole. The other girl had thick, dark hair, so they didn't worry about it.  
  
That would have been ok, if she hadn't been almost completely naked. The two thugs swept the area again with their lantern beams. It was true: the fire had burned off much of the fog. They swept once, twice, three times. The girls held their breath.  
  
"No one's out here. You're just being paranoid!" One said finally, turning to go. Just then, his beam caught on something too light to be part of the forest. He turned back in time to see three figures, one unclothed, fleeing into the forest.  
  
He shouted to his partner, "Jack! This way!"  
  
The girls felt the two men hot on their heels, too frightened to wonder why they hadn't just started shooting. They heard shouts, but didn't look back to see the flashing lights or hear the sirens that were drowned out by the thunder and the sounds of the holocaust they had left behind. Lizzie thought they must be headed for the river, and that they would be able to follow it to the campsite. She was right, but not in a good way. They were still running, and the ground was getting slick.  
  
Suddenly, the ground ran out under Lizzie's feet, and she realized she was falling, falling, falling.  
  
She had screamed when she went over the cliff, and it stopped Kate and the other girl in their tracks. The moon had broken through the clouds, and Kate looked over the edge of the 30 foot drop to see Lizzie sprawled out, unmoving, on the bank below. She screamed, "Lizzie, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" She had to find a way to get down to her! She was trying desperately to find a place to scramble down the bank, when a big, hairy arm grabbed her. Kate screamed and passed out. 


	7. The power of the Moon

You all know the drill ~ I don't own Lizzie McGuire, or any of its characters…  
  
A/N For anyone who doesn't know what a Claddagh ring is, there is a picture of one here: http://www.metalsmiths.com/cladd.html  
  
Also, I have been watching Lizzie McGuire, and have decided that Lizzie's eyes are probably brown. I love brown eyes, but I like the idea of Gordo giving her a sapphire, so for my story her eyes are blue.  
  
  
  
1 Chapter 7  
  
Gordo was feeling pretty pleased with himself when he left his class Wednesday night. He, being Gordo, had thoroughly researched ring styles before he arrived, and so already had a design in mind. As far as he knew, neither he nor Lizzie was Irish, but he loved the symbolism of the Claddagh and thought it fit them perfectly; the heart to represent love, the hands for enduring friendship, and the crown for loyalty.  
  
Having his piece already planned and sketched when he got to class put him way ahead of the rest of the students. So after Marc, the instructor, had given a brief introduction and had given everyone else some catalogs and magazines to study for design ideas, he helped Gordo get started on the mold for his ring. Gordo had taken the design of the Claddagh and modified it a bit. He decided to use silver for the metal of the ring, because he liked it better with the sapphire than gold. He replaced the silver heart held by the hands with the sapphire. Marc suggested that rather than placing the crown atop the heart, as in the original design, that he incorporate it elsewhere. They decided to center a crown within the band on the palm side of the ring, with the names "Lizzie" and "Gordo" on either side of it. Gordo was afraid the finished product would be gaudy, but the lettering formed a Celtic knotwork effect, and turned out to be quite elegant.  
  
The names he used were another consideration. He thought about using "Elizabeth" and "David" instead, but decided that they had always been Lizzie and Gordo to each other. Their given names seemed to lack intimacy, seemed to belong to two other people.  
  
So, when he left class, he was very happy. He walked out of class, hands stuffed into his pockets, looking up at the sky. When he caught sight of the moon, he said, "Good night, Beautiful. I love you. I can't wait till you're back in my arms again, where you belong." He went to sleep with a smile on his face, imagining Lizzie's surprise and pleasure when he gave her the piece of jewelry he had made for her.  
  
He spent the next day with Danny and the band, doing some sound mixing for them, and some filming for a video they were shooting. Miranda wasn't there, of course, but they got some shots of the band on film. "When you gonna join us, Gordo? We could use you full time on the sound equipment. You're way better than what we usually have to settle for."  
  
Gordo said what he always said, "I'll consider it."  
  
Somewhere around late afternoon/early evening something started to bother him. He didn't know what it was, but something was wrong. Nothing that had happened to him, nothing that he knew of in the future. In fact, he was looking forward to Saturday, when Lizzie would finally be home. But something nagged him in the back of his mind.  
  
"Earth to Gordo! Come in, Gordo!" It was Danny, trying to get his attention.  
  
Gordo snapped back to the present. "Sorry! What were you saying?"  
  
"I said, here's your Pibb. Where were you? You've been spacing ever since we sat down. You ok?"  
  
Gordo looked around as if trying to decide where they were, and how he got there. "Yeah. No. Sorry. Something's bugging me, but I don't know what. It's like I forgot something, or I'm missing something… I don't know. I'd better go."  
  
"Ok, buddy. See ya tomorrow?"  
  
"Uh, yeah. I think so. I'll let you know."  
  
He went home, but still couldn't place it. He knew he missed Lizzie, but knowing that didn't make that weird feeling go away. He felt anxious…strange…like he had to be somewhere, or something. It was about to drive him crazy. He sat out on his porch and gazed at the moon, but that didn't help either. Finally, he said goodnight to Lizzie via the moon, and went into the house.  
  
He tossed and turned all night, having fitful dreams about falling and moonlight. Sometime during the night, he heard thunder in the distance, and the sound of rain on the roof of his house. He didn't think he slept at all, but in the morning he felt himself being shaken awake.  
  
"Hey, Gordo! Wake up!"  
  
Gordo looked blearily up at his attacker. "Matt, buddy. No offence, but yours is not the McGuire face I want to wake up to."  
  
"Sorry, Gordo, but I think you're going to want to come with me."  
  
Gordo rubbed his eyes and looked at his clock. "Matt, it's 6am, and it's Spring Break. Why would I want to get up at such a ridiculous hour?"  
  
"Because Lizzie has had an accident, and they're bringing her to the hospital right now!"  
  
THAT woke him up. 


	8. Eye of the Storm

Ok, you know the drill…I don't own Lizzie McGuire, or any of its characters or storylines. Please don't sue me. It would be a waste of your time, anyway, unless you want a temperamental and occasionally demonically possessed computer, because it's about all I own outright.  
  
Ok, friends, this is a really, really long chapter. Enjoy!  
  
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Gordo watched as the Paramedics wheeled Lizzie into the hospital. Matt had told him that as far as they knew, she wasn't very badly injured, but you wouldn't know it to look at her. He could see cuts and scrapes all over her face and arms, which was the only skin that was exposed, and bruises were beginning to show. Presumably from all the scrub and brush she had hit on the way down, there were probably more all over her body. She had an oxygen mask over her mouth and nose, and an IV tube running from her right hand to a drip stand that one of the Paramedics wheeled along with the stretcher. He swallowed and felt a hard lump in his throat. Her hair was still messed and matted from the mud of the riverbed, and she wore a hospital gown. "Oh, god, my beautiful angel," he muttered sadly.  
  
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With Matt's announcement, Gordo had jumped out of bed, dressed in less than a minute, hurriedly scribbled a note for his parents, and then bolted for the car. Matt tried to fill him in with as much as he knew on the way to the hospital. He told him that Lizzie had fallen over a 30-foot cliff the night before, and had been taken to the emergency station where she had been checked out and was being transported to the local hospital by ambulance. Jo and Sam hadn't gone to the emergency station because they were told that by the time they got there, Lizzie would already be on the way to the hospital at home. So, they spent the rest of the night pacing, waiting for the ambulance to arrive. They finally woke Matt when they got a call that the ambulance was about 5 miles away, and told him what happened, and then Matt went to tell Gordo. As far as he knew, Lizzie was ok except for a couple of broken ribs and a swollen ankle, but they hadn't been able to do an MRI on her yet.  
  
When they arrived, the ambulance was just pulling into the parking lot, so they parked and ran over to meet Jo and Sam. Kate's parents were there, too, but no one was talking as they all stood and watched as the Paramedics unloaded two stretchers. First came Kate, and then Lizzie. Both had their eyes closed, but Kate was only sleeping. Lizzie had yet to regain consciousness.  
  
The whole party followed the stretchers into the hospital, and after what seemed an eternity, got the girls admitted and into rooms. There was a little confusion when a large, especially formidable looking dark haired man showed up wearing a dark suit and dark glasses. He insisted that Senor Giuliani would be covering all charges, and that no expense should be spared, especially for Lizzie. She should be given a private room, and the very best one available.  
  
Quite alarmed by this, Sam demanded to know who this "man he had never heard of" was, and why he was being so generous toward his daughter? The large man, who said his name was Antonio, revealed that Senor Giuliani was the father of Anna, the girl Lizzie had rescued along with Kate.  
  
In the end, Lizzie did get a VIP room, but one with two beds in it so Kate could be put in there, too. It also had a small waiting room connected to it with two comfortable couches and some chairs, and a lovely bathroom complete with a Jacuzzi bathtub. Except for the drip stands and tubes attached to various parts of Lizzie's body, it could have been mistaken for a nice suite at some exclusive spa.  
  
The doctor told them that although Kate was quite bruised and battered from the assaults by her kidnappers, nothing was broken or bleeding internally. They wanted to keep her overnight for observation, but fully expected to be able to release her in the morning.  
  
Lizzie was cleaned up and taken to the MRI almost immediately. When she was returned to the room, the doctor spoke with Jo and Sam, with Matt and Gordo hanging around within earshot.  
  
"We can't find any damage other than what we had previously assessed. It's amazing, considering how far she fell, but stranger things have happened. We can't fully assess any head or spinal injuries she might have, thought, until she regains consciousness."  
  
Sam raked his hand through his hair. "So, when will that be? How long should she be…out?"  
  
Dr. Kiki hated questions like this. She would love to tell families that all would be ok, that their loved ones would be awake and back to fighting with their siblings in no time. But, those answers weren't honest, and she couldn't give them false confidence. "I'm sorry, there is no way of knowing that. She could wake up any minute now, or in the next couple of days. But I will warn you that sometimes people stay in a comatose state for weeks, months, even years. Some never wake up." She noted the alarmed looks on the four faces, and quickly added, "Those cases are rare. It just depends on the shock to the brain. She did fall from quite a distance."  
  
Matt smiled weakly, "Well, Lizzie has a really hard head. She should be just fine!"  
  
Dr. Kiki went on, "Unfortunately, the longer she remains in a coma, the greater the chances are for mental degeneration, and the lower the chances for her coming out of it." She watched their frightened faces with empathy, and knew she had to give them something to hold on to; something to give them some feeling of control so they wouldn't feel so helpless. "So, the sooner she wakes up, the better, and you all can help with that. Try to talk to her several times a day, ideally every hour you are here. Just talk about what is going on, maybe with your family, or at school, or local news. Anything that she might recognize subconsciously, and react to."  
  
Matt quipped, "No problem there! Miranda should be here any time now! She'll do the job for all of us!"  
  
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On Saturday night, Gordo was seated beside Lizzie's bed, where he had been ever since they had put her there. He seated himself on the left side, so he wouldn't be in anyone's way or be asked to move. There had been lots of visitors in and out all day long, but now the room was quiet. It was almost midnight, and Matt and his parents were asleep on the couches and lounge chairs in the adjoining room. He, too, was exhausted, and had been told to use the hospital bed that Kate had vacated, but he just couldn't sleep yet. Kate had been released earlier, but not before the police had come to take a statement from her. The story she told them made Gordo's skin crawl, thinking of what might have happened to Lizzie if she had been caught. And what might have happened to Kate. He didn't like her, but he wouldn't wish any of that anyone.  
  
He gazed at his sleeping angel, and took her hand in both of his. "Lizzie, Sweetheart, please wake up. I can't go on without you. Any future seems pointless if you're not in it." He watched her scarred, but still beautiful, face. Her hair had been washed of all the mud, and now hung softly around her face. "Come on. Please! Please wake up for me…for us. I've waited so long for us to be together; please don't leave me now. There is so much I want to do together." He felt the tears well in his eyes, and he turned his eyes heavenward, "Please, please, I'll do what ever you want me to do, just please let her wake up, and please let her be ok." He sat there and prayed until he finally dropped off to sleep.  
  
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The first thing Lizzie saw when she opened her eyes on Sunday morning was her brother's lanky form sprawled in a chair next to her bed.  
  
Wait, check that ~ not * her * bed. And this was definitely not her room. She started to lift her hands to rub her eyes and noticed that there was a tube coming out of her right hand. Hmmm… also some tubes coming out of her nose. She shut her eyes hard and then opened them again. Yup, definitely a hospital room, but a very nice one. And there were flowers everywhere. Wait! Was this a morgue? "Am I dead?" she thought. No, wait, they would hardly be giving her oxygen if she were dead. She tried to remember what had happened to bring her here. Something pretty bad, she was sure, because every bit of her body ached.  
  
She closed her eyes again, and it started to come back to her. She remembered a fire, the sound of the raging flames, running through the dark woods, shouting, being chased, the rain making the ground slippery, and then the ground not being there. Why had she been there? Then, in alarm, she shrieked, "Oh, no! Where's Kate?"  
  
Matt, who had been watching TV with headphones on, heard Lizzie cry out and instantly came to life. "Whoa, Sis! You're awake! How are you?"  
  
"Umm, you tell me."  
  
"You're amazingly well. You fell a long way, but you obviously didn't die, or even break much. A couple of broken ribs, and a swollen ankle, but other than that, you seem to be ok. We were just waiting for you to come out of your coma, to see if you have any brian damage. I mean, other than what you already had!"  
  
Lizzie tried to punch him in the arm, but remembered a little too late that her hand had a large needle and a tube sticking out of it. Ouch! Bad idea. "Ha, ha!"  
  
"So, other than just trying to rip the IV out of your hand, how do you feel?"  
  
"Hmmm…Like I've been run over by a steam roller. I feel like I broke everything."  
  
"Yeah, they haven't given you much to kill the pain, because they wanted you to wake up. They said the sooner you did, the better." He suddenly lurched forward and hugged her, ignoring the tubes. "I was really worried about you, Sis! I didn't know you moonlighted as a Superhero! Where's your cape?"  
  
Lizzie cringed, "Matt, thanks for caring. But be careful, ok! That hurt!"  
  
He flopped back down on his chair. "Sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm just so glad…"  
  
"S'ok. So, where is Kate? And…I remember another girl…"  
  
"Well, Kate got out of here yesterday. She didn't fall off a cliff, you know! They just kept her overnight for observation. She said to call her as soon as you woke up. As for that other girl, Whoa! I bet you have no idea what you did when you rescued her! She was kidnapped and had been missing for months. They were holding her for ransom, but they kept upping the amount they were asking for, making them pay just to keep her alive and unmolested. Her family is from Sicily, and is really loaded, and they have these big bodyguards who wear really dark glasses. Her dad is really grateful for what you did and is trying to buy this wing of the hospital for you, among other things."  
  
This was much too much for Lizzie to process in her current state. "But, is she ok?"  
  
"Yeah, she's ok. They didn't mess with her much, I guess because they wanted to make sure Daddy kept paying. There's one of those big, dark guys outside in the lounge, waiting for you to wake up so the family can come and thank you. About half of these flowers are from them."  
  
"Where's everyone else? Mom, Dad…Gordo?"  
  
Matt let out a small laugh, "Sis, you really are out of it!" He indicated the left side of her bed, where a dark curly head rested on crossed arms next to her hip. "Poor guy! We haven't been able to chase him out of here since they brought you in. Well, we did get him to go take a shower yesterday, but that was only because we convinced him that you weren't going to want to wake up to a smelly boyfriend. But he was back in half an hour. And he's hardly eaten anything! I think this is the first time he's slept for more than an hour. "  
  
"Oh, wow! Gordo hasn't eaten? I must be worse off than you're telling me! Am I going to die?"  
  
Matt grinned at her, "Yeah, Sis, you're gonna die. But not today, or for about 90 years. Everybody dies. Anyway, Dad went out about 10 minutes ago to find some coffee, and Mom went to get us some real food. We wanted something other than hospital food for a change."  
  
"Miranda?"  
  
"She's not here yet this morning. She and Danny stayed pretty late last night. They wouldn't let her come home with you because there wasn't room in the ambulance, so Danny drove up and got her on Friday. She's been her most of the time since then, too."  
  
"So, what about those guys that had Kate…"  
  
They were interrupted by Nurse Gina, on her rounds to take vital signs. When she saw that Lizzie was conscious, she gasped, "Oh, you're awake! That's great!" She mildly scolded Matt, "Why didn't you call anyone, young man?" She was about 42, motherly, and had become quite fond of the McGuires and their extended family.  
  
"Sorry, Nurse Gina! She just woke up a few minutes ago."  
  
"I'll call the doctor," she said, and turned to leave. "Oh, she's out here! Dr. Kiki, she's awake!"  
  
The doctor, dark haired and olive skinned, entered the room with a pleasant smile. "This is very good! How are you feeling, Lizzie?"  
  
Lizzie gave her a small, wry smile (even her facial muscles were sore), and said, "Like I just fell off a cliff."  
  
The doctor chuckled, and told her that as soon as she finished examining Lizzie, she would have the nurse bring her some pain medication. Matt said, "I think I'll go find Dad."  
  
The doctor checked her vitals, looked in her eyes, poked and prodded, checked reflexes, and made a few notes. Then she pronounced Lizzie as being, "very good," and turned her attention to the still sleeping Gordo. "That's quite a devoted boyfriend you have there. Have you been together for a long time?"  
  
"No, he's really only been my boyfriend for about a week, and I've been gone for most of it. But he's been my best friend ever since we were babies."  
  
"Well, he has been extreemly worried. He seems like a very good man."  
  
Lizzie smiled, and stroked his unkempt curls, "The best."  
  
Matt slipped back into the room and sat down. Dr. Kiki continued, "You know, you're a very lucky young woman. Most people don't survive a fall of that height, and if they do, they usually have a lot more broken bones. The ones who come out the best are those who are totally relaxed, either from being drunk or from using narcotics." She paused when she saw the horrified look on Lizzie's face. "Don't worry, there were no traces of any of those things in your blood. We have to test. It's just so unusual that you should come out of that fall so unscathed."  
  
Lizzie winced, "I don't feel unscathed." Then, almost absent-mindedly, "It was Gordo." Her face registered surprise right after she said it, as if she herself didn't know where that last statement had come from.  
  
Dr. Kiki looked at her inquiringly. "You mean you lived for him?"  
  
Lizzie squeezed her eyes shut, and shook her head to try to remember what made her say such a thing. Her temples throbbed, and she brought her hands up to rub them. Dr. Kiki said gently, "It's ok, Lizzie, you can think of it later. Don't strain yourself."  
  
Meanwhile, Gordo registered that someone had said his name, and that it was someone important. Then he realized it had been Lizzie, and that she was finally awake. He looked up to see Lizzie concentrating, unaware of him, totally focused on what she was trying to recall.  
  
"It's ok. I remember. At least some of it." When she looked up she said, "I know it must have happed almost instantly. Me falling and then hitting the ground, I mean. But to me, it seemed to take forever, like I was Alice in Wonderland, falling down the rabbit hole. It was really dark, and raining, but then suddenly the moon broke through the clouds, and I heard Gordo's voice. He said, "Goodnight, Beautiful. I love you and I can't wait till you're back in my arms where you belong." And then I knew everything would be all right. That's the last thing I remember. I don't even remember hitting the ground."  
  
A chill ran down Gordo's spine when she said that, and he finally spoke, "Lizzie… I said that every night to the moon."  
  
"Whoa!" Matt shivered. "Weird!"  
  
After the doctor finished her examination, and the nurse administered the promised pain meds, Matt decided that three was a crowd. He said something about going to see where Mom was with the food, and wandered out.  
  
Gordo took Lizzie's hand into his, and the two just sat gazing into each other's eyes for what seemed an eternity, as if to convince themselves that this was real ~ that they were not dreaming. Finally, Gordo moved his hands to the cup her face, and he murmured, "Oh, god, you're awake. You're finally awake!" And with that said, he kissed her lips softly, carefully so not to cause her pain, but still with all the passion he felt in his soul. Lizzie, in turn, stroked his face with her hands, and returned his kisses with enthusiasm, ignoring her pain. In fact, thanks to the meds, the pain was finally starting to fade. Gordo moved his attention to her face, where he kissed each cut, each scrape, each bruise gently, before moving back to her mouth. Lizzie closed her eyes, as a small whimper of bliss escaped her lips. Their mouths rejoined in a perfect pas de deux, bonding their hearts and melding their souls.  
  
Breathless, they finally pulled apart, and Gordo smiled at her. "I can't believe you're finally here with me. I have prayed so hard for the last couple of days. More than in my entire life! I made God all kinds of promises if you would wake up and be ok." He stopped, thought, and a slightly concerned look crossed his face. "Umm, do you think you would mind being the wife of a Rabbi?"  
  
Lizzie lifted her brows, and questioned, "Wife?"  
  
"Well, you know, in a few years maybe…I mean, I thought ~ well, hoped…"  
  
Lizzie laughed and cut him off with a kiss. "No, I wouldn't mind being the wife of a Rabbi. But I don't think that's what God wants of you. He gave you a real talent with the camera, and I would think he expects you to use that talent, not to waste it."  
  
"Lizzie, I love you."  
  
With the drugs doing their job, Lizzie's pain was almost gone, and it was now replaced by a content feeling that warmed her whole body. "I know, Gordo. I love you, too."  
  
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A/N Ok, this would probably be a good time to end this one, but I'm not done with it yet. I mean, what about those guys who kidnapped Kate ~ where are they? And what happened to Kate that day that got her abducted in the first place? And what about this Anna, and her family? And, most importantly, what will happen to Lizzie and Gordo now, and when will he give her the ring he's making for her? Want to know? I will keep writing, because I love to, but please be kind and leave me a review! They make my day!  
  
Oh, btw, for those who think that Lizzie falling off a 30 foot cliff and surviving almost unscathed is unrealistic, I have an even more fantastic, but absolutely true story. That very thing happened to a member of my immediate family. He actually went over a 30 foot cliff, but he was absolutely unharmed. NO broken bones, NO scrapes, not even a bruise! He did lose his glasses, but that was it. 


	9. Fitting the pieces together

Do I own Lizzie McGuire? Yeah, along with the Eiffel Tower and Disney World. Oh, wait, that's in my other life. In this life, I own only this psychotic life-sucking box that I wrote this story on.  
  
  
  
One minute, Lizzie and Gordo were having a private, romantic moment ~ and the next they were surrounded by family and friends, all eager to see Lizzie and see for themselves that she was awake and doing well. First, Matt and Sam came in, and then Jo with a feast in a large basket. Next came Miranda, without Danny because he had to work. Gordo's parents showed up, and Matt had apparently kept his promise, because Kate soon joined the crowd along with her parents. Luckily, Jo had packed enough food to feed a small army (or Gordo and Matt). It was quite a happy party ~ one which would never have been allowed in any other hospital room. But apparently when you have a VIP suite, you can do pretty much anything you want to do.  
  
Kate's mom cried and hugged Lizzie, so grateful to her for saving "her baby." Mr. Saunders gave her a firm handshake, and told her that if she ever needed anything, she should come to him. Kate just stood by and looked nervous until it was her turn. Finally her parents joined the other adults. She looked at Lizzie, not sure what to say. "Thank you" just didn't seem to cover it.  
  
Finally, Lizzie broke the silence, "So, Kate, how are you doing? You're looking pretty good."  
  
"Thanks. Lots of make-up." She paused for a minute. "Ummm, I could do yours for you when you go back to school. If you want. You know, just cover some of the bruising and scrapes."  
  
For the first time, Lizzie looked at her battered arms and realized she must be a mess. "Oh, wow, I hadn't even thought of that! I must look horrible."  
  
Kate said, "No, no, not too…Ok, yeah. You look pretty scary. But it'll go away soon, and I can help you until then. It's the least I can do." She paused again, and then blurted, "Lizzie, I don't know how to say thank you for what you did. And I'm so glad you're ok! You risked your life to save me! And I was so scared when you fell over that cliff ~ I thought you were dead! I've been so bitchy to you for so many years, but you still…"  
  
"Kate, it's ok. I didn't really consider that I was risking anything. I just did what I had to do ~ and I couldn't just leave you there."  
  
"Yes, you could have. I think my so-called friends would have." Kate said bitterly.  
  
"How did you get there, anyway?"  
  
Kate covered her face with her hands, and said "Oh, god, stupid, stupid, stupid! You'd think I would have learned my lesson about guys, huh?" She shook her head, and then went on, "Well, you probably heard that Claire got spooked by a snake and ran off. Bimbo! It was a harmless snake, which she would have known if she had listened to the ranger, instead of gossiping about Maria's trip Europe. Anyway, I tried to look for her, but of course, she didn't run down the path. No, she had to go off into the woods."  
  
"What about Maria's trip to Europe?" Miranda wanted to know.  
  
"Hmm? Oh, someone said she really went to "take care of" an unwanted pregnancy. But I know she went to Europe, because she showed me the pictures."  
  
"Anyway…." Lizzie motioned with her needle and tube free hand. She was getting impatient.  
  
"Sorry. Ok, I was looking for Claire, and dropping stuff of mine so we could find our way back to the trail, when I saw this guy chopping wood. He was really hot, and he had this tank top on, so all his muscles showed. I asked him if he had seen a hysterical girl run by. He smiled and told me she was in his cabin with his friend, getting a drink of water. Well, I had already dropped my water bottle, and I was thirsty, so I followed him back there. Of course, Claire wasn't there, and when I tried to leave…" She faltered there, not wanting to recall the horror.  
  
"It's ok, Kate. That's enough."  
  
"You know, if you hadn't come to get me, I'd be dead by now. The guy who was in the cabin got really mad at the guy who brought me there. He said that he shouldn't have taken anyone from so close to the cabin, because the rangers were sure to comb the woods now, and they would surely come around asking questions. He said some guy named Anthony was going to be really angry. The guy who brought me: Bruce, I think, said they were leaving tomorrow anyway, and that he'd have fun with me until then." She closed her eyes, trying to squeeze back the tears, "He said, "What's one more body in the back yard?"  
  
Lizzie reached out for Kate, who fell into her arms for a hug. "It's ok now, Kate." She added to herself, "I hope." It occurred to her that those guys might have gotten away, and after all, Kate had seen their faces. She pulled back, and said, "So, do you know what happened to them?"  
  
Kate sniffed and wiped her eyes. "Well, that's where Miranda comes in."  
  
Miranda took her turn. "Well, when I went back to the trail, I radioed to the ranger, but he was busy with another emergency. He said to stay where I was, and he'd be there ASAP. Well, he finally got there, and I told him what had happened. He called for back up, and then we tried to find the way back, but by then the fog was so thick that it was hard to see or find anything. I got on my hands and knees to look for the stuff Kate dropped, but I still think we must have gotten lost about 5 times. Then there was a huge explosion and then the fire. By that time, back up arrived. Man, there were sirens and flashing lights and people running everywhere. The guy with the big gun tried to run back inside for something, probably Anna, but his clothes caught fire. He's not dead, but he's in the burn unit with 70% of his body covered with burns. They don't think he'll make it, but they want him to because they want to find out if he's the head of this gang, or if there is someone else they should be going after. The other two are dead. The guy named Jack turned his gun on the cops, and they shot him. The other guy got smashed by a flaming tree trunk, and brought new meaning to the word "toast."  
  
"Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy!" murmured Lizzie.  
  
Miranda scolded Lizzie, " I was so scared when I got there! I told you not to be a hero!"  
  
"Miranda, I had to. I heard screaming from inside. Anyway, aren't you glad I did?"  
  
Miranda, who still didn't know about the conversation Lizzie and Kate had shared on the bus, looked dubiously at Kate, and said, "Yeah, I guess so. But I don't know how glad I would have been if you had died from falling over that cliff."  
  
"But I didn't. Why do you think that guy was going to get Anna?"  
  
"Haven't you heard? She was his meal-ticket! Her family is loaded, and he was bleeding them to keep her alive."  
  
As if on cue, a family Lizzie had never seen before knocked on the door, and was admitted. There was a man, obviously the head of the family, in a tasteful Hawaiian print shirt and khaki's, flanked on both sides by very large men in dark suits and dark glasses. Just behind the men was a lovely dark haired woman in a linen sheath and low pumps. She had diamond studs in her ears and carefully manicured fingernails polished with pale pink. Beside the woman was a pretty girl, about Lizzie's age, who looked vaguely familiar. Like her mother, she had dark hair, but was dressed in blue capris pants and a matching top.  
  
They approached the bed, and the man spoke in a rich Mediterranean accent, "I am Ambrose Giuliani, and I and my family are forever in your debt. You are the angel who has restored our beloved daughter to us."  
  
Lizzie started, "Your dau…"  
  
The girl stepped forward and said softly, accent even more apparent than her father's, "Hello. I am Anna. I am the girl you rescued from that awful place. You are a…a hero!" Lizzie saw it now. Her hair was washed and combed, her face washed and accented with a small amount of make-up, and she had clothes on, but this was definitely the unknown girl from that night.  
  
Lizzie shook her head, "No, I'm not a hero. I did what I had to do. I only wish…I just wish I could have taken all those girls." Lizzie bowed her head, now remembering the lifeless bodies of the drugged girls slumped against the furniture and walls. "Oh, god, if I had only known…"  
  
Kate spoke up, "Lizzie, none of us would have made it out alive. We would have had to carry them, and the place would have blown up before we ever got out. I've thought about this, too. I thought that if I had been brave enough, maybe I could have done something before you got there. But they bound my wrists, and took my clothes. They just gave me that t-shirt because I whined that I was cold."  
  
Lizzie turned to Anna, "Was that you I heard screaming?"  
  
Anna nodded, "Yes. Up till that night, they pretty much left me alone, because I told them Papa wouldn't pay if I didn't remain a virgin. But that disgusting, filthy man, Bruce, finally decided he would have me. I tried to remind him about the money, but he just laughed and said, "Who's gonna tell? You? By the time he finds out, if we ever give you back, we'll have our money! So he hit me and tried to molest me. Luckily he is too stupid, and too much of a drunk. He kept falling over, and…missing. I kept squeezing my legs together. He called me a "bitch" and told me he'd shoot me if I didn't cooperate. I didn't care. I'd rather be dead than be with that…that…" She swallowed hard. "Finally, he beat me really hard with his belt, and threw me back into that room with Kate. That is why I didn't have anything on but my bra and a torn shirt." She had given her recitation bravely, but she finally broke down into sobs. Her mother hugged her and stroked her hair, cooing softly to her.  
  
When Anna finally had her grief under control, her mother turned to Lizzie. "You are a very brave and wonderful young woman. We could never repay you for what you have done for us, but we hope you will allow us to try. If you ever need anything, you must ask us. You are as family to us now!" Anna looked up from her mother's shoulder, and she and her father nodded in agreement. "Family."  
  
Lizzie wasn't sure how to react to this. She was sure this was good news, but being so adored was making her kind of uncomfortable. Also, something else was bothering her. "Anna, what were they doing with all those girls there? Were they all being held for ransom?"  
  
Anna looked gravely at Lizzie, "No, my friend. You don't know? They made films there ~ child pornography. Most of the girls were runaways, and the youngest was 12. Most were about 14 or 15. But they were all underage, except for your friend here. And none of them wanted to be there." 


	10. Sicilians bearing gifts

Lizzie had to spend a few more days in hospital, to heal up a bit and for "observation." During that time, she had little time to be bored because she had so many visitors. In addition to her usual entourage, lots of kids from school dropped by, including Ethan. Nurse Gina even started to threaten to chase some of them away, for fear of Lizzie becoming too fatigued.  
  
The Giuliani's had to return to Sicily, but they visited one more time before leaving. Anna asked to be able to spend a little time talking with Lizzie without her parents there. Her parents agreed, so long as they could leave Miguel to guard the door, and they asked Jo and Sam to join them for breakfast at a nearby café.  
  
Lizzie had finally kicked Gordo out and told him he had to go home and get some sleep. She loved him, and loved having him near, but with the circles under his eyes growing ever darker, he was beginning to look worse than she did. She told him not to come back till noon, by which time she expected that Kate would have visited and helped her with some camouflaging make-up.  
  
So, with her parents gone and Matt still asleep, she and Anna were alone to talk, and Lizzie had some questions. After talking about the usual things~ clothes, music, school, etc., she got around to asking them.  
  
"Anna, you've got these big men following you around everywhere ~ how did you end up getting kidnapped?"  
  
Anna looked ashamed, and said, "Well, it was my fault. See, Papa was considering letting me go to University here in the US, so we all came over here to visit different schools." Anna's expression became deprecating, and she went on, "When you've been followed around most of your life by bodyguards, you get very tired of having no privacy. So, I sometimes play "ditch the suits." Some kids told me about a party, and I wanted to go without them, so I snuck out when they thought I was asleep. I went to the party, and I don't know how anyone knew who I was, but next thing I know, I'm gagged and being thrown into the back of a truck!"  
  
Lizzie gasped, "Oh, wow, you must have been terrified."  
  
"I was. And it was worse when I got there and found out what they did with those poor little girls. Sometimes they tried to make me watch. They thought it was funny to make me upset. Those horrible, filthy men with those poor…poor…"  
  
Lizzie realized that she was starting to cry, and said, "I'm sorry, Anna. I didn't mean to upset you."  
  
"It's ok. I'm glad you will listen. My Mama asked about it, but I can tell it distresses her terribly, and I know she has been frightened for me for so long…"  
  
"But you've been frightened, too."  
  
"Yes, I was. But I guess I realized pretty soon that they wouldn't hurt me or make me do those things, because Papa was paying them a lot of money. But they made me behave by threatening to hurt one of the other girls." She stopped there, and just looked sad and thoughtful. "You know, they all had dreams, those girls. So many had run away from abusive families, trying to make a better life for themselves. Tina wanted to do comedy routines ~ I think you call them "Stand-up Comedians." When she wasn't drugged, she would tell us jokes or say funny things and make us laugh. And Gloria wanted to sing. She had such a beautiful voice. Like an Angel. And Mandy just wanted to find a nice man to marry and have children with, and give them a better life than she had. And so many more girls. But some of them disappeared, and the men would talk of digging holes outside. They would do horrible things to these girls, and take movies of them, and people would pay to watch them on the internet! And then they would just throw them out, like the garbage!" She was growing angrier and angrier, tears of rage running down her lovely olive cheeks, and she had to stop to breathe.  
  
After a minute, Lizzie asked, "Were there only the three men?"  
  
Anna sniffed and wiped her eyes with a violent swipe of her hand, "No. There was one more. I never saw him, but they called him Anthony, and he was the one to give the orders."  
  
After that, Lizzie steered the conversation to lighter topics. Matt eventually joined them, and they decided to order some breakfast. When their parents got back, the girls were laughing at something that Matt was saying.  
  
"Honey, we must go or we will miss our flight." Anna's mother told her.  
  
Anna looked sadly at her new friend. "I have only just met you, but I will miss you anyway. You will come to visit me?"  
  
Lizzie smiled, "Your home sounds so beautiful, and I would love to see how you make wine. I would love to visit."  
  
Senor Giuliani smiled and said, "Then we will arrange it. But in the mean time, we have a small gift for you." He held up a set of keys attached to a BMW keychain  
  
Lizzie looked puzzled, and then her eyes popped, and she gasped. "Oh, no, I can't!"  
  
"Please, I have already persuaded your parents with some difficulty. You must accept our gift. It is the very least we can do for you. You have, after all, restored what is most precious in the world to us."  
  
Lizzie glanced at her parents, who shrugged, and then at Matt, who could barely contain himself. "Uh, Thank you! Thank you very much!"  
  
Sam interjected, "Just wait till you see what those keys go to. It's small, sapphire blue, and has a cloth top!"  
  
"Oh, wow!" she was absolutely stunned. She hated herself for the first thought that came to mind, but it came none-the-less, "Wait till Ms. "I'm the Queen of the World Claire" sees this!"  
  
With all her tubes and needles removed, Lizzie was able to get out of her bed and hug her new friend goodbye. With tears and promises to keep in touch via e-mail, the Giuliani family finally made their departure.  
  
Matt was fairly jumping up and down, begging Lizzie to let him drive her new car, when Miranda made her appearance. She bounced into the room, with a gleam in her eye, and news to tell, "Lizzie, Lizzie, Lizzie, you'll *never*guess what!" She noticed Matt looking as if he was about to wet himself, and inquired, "What's up with him?"  
  
Lizzie smiled and held up her keys, and told her BF what went with them. Miranda just gaped, "OMG, that is so cool!"  
  
Still feeling a little guilty about the gift, Lizzie smiled sheepishly and said, "Yeah, it is pretty cool. Now, you have some news for me?"  
  
Miranda knitted her brow for a second, then said, "Oh, oh, yeah! Yeah! Well, you know we've been playing at the DB on Tuesday nights? Well, last night a guy approached us and told us he liked what he heard, and would we come to see him in the morning. We did, and he wants to represent us! He says he can get us on the radio, and thinks he can get us a record deal with his company! Ethan's dad is looking at the contracts for us, but he says it's a great company, and at first glance, it looks like a great deal for us!"  
  
Lizzie hugged her friend, "Oh, wow, Miranda! That is so great! I can't believe I am a very close, personal friend of the up and coming hottest act in the music buis! You won't forget about us little people when you get to the top, will you?"  
  
"Never! Ummm, what did you say your name was?" Miranda grinned. "Oh, yeah, and we won't be "Kessler and Co." anymore. The band talked about it, and we decided to change our name to Dulcinea. You know, lady-love of Don Quixote."  
  
Lizzie grinned. "I like it. Muse to a crazy man. It fits." 


	11. Author's note

Author's Note:  
  
Hey, all, I'm having a bit or trouble writing this next chappie; you know, trying to tie everything together without getting unforgivably dull. Be patient, please, I will get it out in the next week. I'm sorry, too, for those who think it's getting overly fantastic. I promise lots of mushy gushy and maybe a little lime with Lizzie and Gordo in this chapter, once I get it written. A little hint: They will be going to the prom, where Gordo will finally give her…dum dum dum…. the ring! But, after that, it will get exciting again. I hope you all will stick with me. I admit to reading too many action/adventure/mystery books, so I guess that's what I prefer to write.  
  
Ahem…(climbs up onto soapbox) I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to those of you who take the time to review…my story and others. Your praise inspires us and makes us want to continue. Everyone loves applause. And thank you to those who make constructively critical comments. You make us better writers. And since most of us who review are also writers, we should support each other and help each other to put out better material. Thank you. (Falls off soapbox ~ I'm a major klutz!) 


	12. You never know with Gordo. For all I kn...

Disclaimer: They're mine, all mine! Especially Gordo! It was my idea, and Disney stole it! Oh, wait! Check that! That's my little fantasy world again. Hmmm.No, they're not mine. Not even Gordo( Oh well.Reality really is overrated.  
  
A/N: Ok, I lied. Well, not really. I really intended to post this chapter in a timely manner, but I've just had a terrible time trying to write it. I have much of the rest of the story written, but this chapter is just not coming to me. So, I'm posting what I have written so far, so you guys won't think I fell off the face of the planet. I'm sorry, it's not what I promised yet. I promised they would go to the prom and Gordo would give Lizzie the ring in this chapter, but I'm still trying to write that. Instead, they're getting ready for the prom. But it's already a pretty long chapter, so I hope you enjoy it anyway.  
  
Oh, I slightly changed the ending of the Chapter 10, because I realized (thanks to a helpful reviewer, thank you!) that it was a little unrealistic. It still is ~ just not so much.  
  
Skigrrrrrrrl (wherever you are!): Not a problem! All you have to do is rescue the daughter of a multi-millionaire from a gang of evil, murderous kidnappers, and the BMW's yours! What color would you like?(  
  
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After Lizzie got out of hospital and back to school, the year seemed to fly. It seemed like they had waited their whole lives for senior year, and now it was just flying by. Lizzie still had to use crutches for a couple more weeks, and her ribs were stabilized with tape, but most of the bruising was gone and she felt pretty good, all things considered. She and Kate experienced a couple of weeks of new celebrity in which it seemed like everyone wanted to hear their story, but soon things were back to normal and they were all making plans for the prom.  
  
Well, mostly normal. One small thing changed, but it made a big difference in the whole school social hierarchy. Kate started eating lunch with them; them being Lizzie and co. Lizzie was pretty sure it was not because of some new bond they had formed, but because Danny ate with Miranda, and Ethan ate with Danny. This obviously infuriated Claire, who had her sites on Ethan as well, which was fun. But Claire had problems of her own. Word of her cowardly behavior on the backpacking trip had spread like wildfire, and although they couldn't kick her off the cheerleading squad, no one was going out of their way to be friendly toward her either.  
  
In any case, the next few weeks were spent shopping for the perfect dresses and shoes, trying out hairstyles, etc. And of course, there was studying for finals, and trying to choose which universities to attend.  
  
Kate gathered her courage, and asked Ethan to go to the prom with her, and he accepted. "Actually, what he said was, "Uh, Yeah. Ok." Kate confided to Lizzie and Miranda over Dim Sum the day they all went shopping for dresses.  
  
"The boy has a way with words, huh?" Miranda said around a mouthful of steamed dumpling.  
  
Kate shrugged, "I know he's brainless, but he's a nice guy. I need a nice guy right now. I've had enough of the other kind."  
  
Miranda was still unaware of the conversation Kate and Lizzie had shared on the bus to camp, so Kate filled her in. They were all laughing hysterically when Kate got to the bit about her walking out of the closet naked. Kate remarked, "It's so nice to have real friends again. I didn't think I would ever laugh about that. You won't tell anyone about it, though, will you?"  
  
Lizzie and Miranda gave their solemn oath that they wouldn't, and the conversation moved back to matters of the "big night." Kate asked if they knew what the guys were planning for the evening, and Lizzie said, "I have no idea. Gordo is being very mysterious about it. Won't tell me anything, except that he's wearing a black tux with a white shirt. And he only told me that because I complained that I didn't want to buy a dress that clashed with his tux. And he keeps disappearing on Wednesday nights, and won't tell me where he's going. I wonder if he's taking swing dance lessons or something." She wondered.  
  
"Yeah, that sounds like something Gordo would do." Miranda said. "Are you guys taking your car?"  
  
"I don't know. I don't think so. But you never know with Gordo. For all I know, he could be picking me up in a horse drawn coach made out of a pumpkin! Even Matt can't find anything out from him."  
  
Miranda said, "I bet we'll arrive on Danny's bike. I love him, but Danny's not very good at planning these things. I had to go with him to order his tux, and I'll probably have to pick it up and remind him to get ready."  
  
Lizzie sipped her tea. "You guys can take my car. As long as Danny doesn't drink."  
  
Miranda shot her friend a reproachful glance, "He wouldn't. And I wouldn't let him. And thanks, maybe we'll take you up on that."  
  
Kate was pretty sure she'd be in charge of getting Ethan to the prom as well. But, as she put it, "He'll look good when he gets there!"  
  
************************************************************************ The big night finally arrived. Lizzie was finally off her crutches, and only had to wear a couple of strips of tape on her ribs as a precaution, and luckily they were in front. Luckily, because the gown she had chosen dipped very low in back, and she didn't want big, thick strips of white tape showing.  
  
She and Miranda and Kate all got ready at Lizzie's, so they could help each other with their hair. When they were finally ready, Jo insisted on taking a photo of them all together, so they went outside to pose under an arbor of wisteria. They were quite a picture, all standing there together, dressed up and laughing. Jo smiled, and a tear leaked down her cheek. She later took that picture and put it next to one of three smiling little 5 year old girls, all in "first day of school" dresses and brand new backpacks and lunchboxes.  
  
Then Miranda and Kate went home to wait for their dates, so their parents to could see them all dressed up and take pictures as well. Everyone planned to meet at Vincent's at 7 for dinner.  
  
Lizzie ran upstairs to make a last minute check and to grab her bag. As she looked into the mirror, she was startled to see a strange girl looking back at her. Lizzie always thought of herself as an average teenage girl, more comfortable in jeans than skirts. She had a certain eclectic style (though nowhere near as "interesting" as Miranda's), but nothing that made her stand out much. But the girl who looked back at her from the mirror was different; sophisticated, even elegant. Her dress was a deep shade of coral, that looked like a Hawaiian sunset, and shimmered with iridescent tangerine. It had simple, long lines that flowed into a long, slightly flared skirt. The form fitting bodice was sleevless, with a rounded neckline that dipped just low enough to show a little cleavage. The back of the gown dipped into a low U, and from each shoulder draped a length of shimmery chiffon, which could either fall to the floor or tie loosely at the bottom of the U. She chose a pair of low heeled sandals, since at '5"7, she was only an inch shorter than Gordo. For earrings, she decided on a simple pair of small gold hoops. No necklace.  
  
Miranda, with a little help from Jo, had worked miracles with her hair. They had made her sleep in soft rollers the night before, so she had lots of soft curls. They then piled her hair up on top of her head, and pinned it so that most of the curls stayed in an up-do, but let some of them fall softly around her face. Then Kate worked her magic with make-up. That girl was amazing, even dangerous, with a make-up kit. Lizzie was pretty sure Kate could turn Tudgeman into an Ethan Craft look alike, given enough time and make-up.  
  
Lizzie's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the doorbell. She smiled in anticipation of seeing her "mystery man." Of course she knew who was there, but that was about all she knew. Gordo had certainly been very secretive plans for the night.  
  
She grabbed her bottle of Eternity, sprayed it into the air in front of her, and stepped into the cloud of fragrance. Matt was bellowing up the stairs, "Lizzie, Prince Charming is here!" She grabbed her bag, took one last glance into the mirror, and said to the girl smiling back, "Wish me luck! I want tonight to be perfect!"  
  
************************************************************************ Gordo paced the hallway at the bottom of the stairs. Jo had greeted him at the door, but then had to go find a new battery for her camera. Sam was apparently helping her look, and Matt and Lanny headed out the door for soccer practice after he called for Lizzie. So now he was alone to wait. In his left hand, he held a florist box with a beautiful gardenia corsage. With his right hand, he reached into his pocket for the little box that nestled there, and pulled it out. He opened it to inspect its contents for the 102nd time that day. He was pleased with his work, and the stone shimmered reassuringly. But would she like the design, or would she think it was tacky? What did he know about jewelry? What did he know about style? He had never bought jewelry for anyone before, except for a very gaudy necklace for his mom when he was six.  
  
He remembered how proud he had been back then because he saved his allowance for weeks to buy it. His mother proudly wore it every week to Synagogue, and told everyone that it was a special gift from her son.  
  
When he heard Lizzie's door open, he shoved the box back into his pocket and looked up expectantly. When she appeared, he immediately felt a wave of something indefinable wash over him. She was an angel; she had to be. No, a Goddess. He watched her descend the stairs in awe of the beautiful creature that had consented to spend the evening with him. Even though they had been a couple for over a month now, it never stopped amazing him that she was his.  
  
Lizzie smiled and said, "Hi Gordo."  
  
He tried to speak, but his voice caught in his throat. He simply couldn't tear his gaze away from her. He knew he must look like a fool, standing there gaping at her, but he just couldn't move. His eyes were taking in her golden hair curling softly around her radiant face, her sparkling eyes, and the soft fabric that seemed to flow like water over the curves of her shapely body.  
  
Noticing his "deer in the headlights" expression, she frowned, "Is there something wrong? Do I look alright?"  
  
He finally found his voice, "You look.amazing. Stunning." He fumbled with the box, and finally managed to get it open. "Would you like to wear this?" he asked, proffering the fragrant corsage.  
  
Lizzie breathed, "Oh, it's beautiful! And it smells so good! Thank you, Gordo." She kissed him. Jo walked in with the camera, and a small box. She helped pin on Lizzie's flower, and then gave her the box.  
  
Lizzie extracted a single rose boutonniere, the color of her dress. As she pinned it onto the lapel of Gordo's tuxedo, she told him, "Wow, Gordo, I think this is the first time I have seen you really dressed up since your Bar mitzvah." Then she leaned to whisper into his ear, and added, "You look hot!"  
  
The effect of her breath in his ear was a warm sensation beginning to flood his body. He took a deep breath, and attempted to steady his voice, "Don't get used to it. This collar is killing me."  
  
They posed for a few pictures for Jo, and finally headed out the door. The sun was just setting, and the moon was beginning to rise full and glorious. Gordo, grateful to be alone with his love, was finally able to slip his arm around her slim waist and lead her to the waiting car.  
  
Lizzie commented, "I guess Miranda and Danny didn't need my car."  
  
"No, Danny and Ethan went together to rent a Limo."  
  
Lizzie gaped, "They did that on their own? Without Miranda or Kate ordering them to?"  
  
"Believe it or not." They stopped in front of the most amazing car Lizzie had ever seen. It was obviously old, but every surface of it gleamed. It was hard to determine the color in the twilight, but it looked to be a deep crimson. As they had approached, a man with a wheel (chauffeur's hat) emerged from the driver's seat, and stood at wait.  
  
It was Lizzie's turn to gape. "Gordo, where.???"  
  
He shrugged. "I did a little camera work for Jay Leno as part of my internship last semester, and he was really pleased with it. He told me to give him a call if I needed anything."  
  
"You never told me that."  
  
"I didn't? Well, it was DE (code for During Ethan). We didn't talk much."  
  
She looked down, "Sorry."  
  
"Lizzie, it doesn't matter now. And I didn't plan the perfect evening for us to start it our with recriminations over lack of communication." He stopped there because Lizzie was kissing him ~ her now favorite way of ending one of his monologues.  
  
When they finally came up for air, the Chauffeur (Marc) opened the door and helped Lizzie inside. Gordo climbed in after her, and they settled into the spacious back seat. The inside of the car was as amazing as the outside. Everything was real mahogany wood and soft leather. "Wow, this is wonderful!" Lizzie breathed.  
  
"Well, hot air balloons were impractical ways to get to dinner and then to the dance, and a helicopter would have been too noisy. I thought about a horse drawn carriage, but they won't leave the park on weekend nights. Then I remembered Mr. Leno." He was holding her hand, and turned his gaze to her. "I'm glad you like it. You know, you really do look amazing."  
  
She smiled seductively and rewarded him with a blood igniting kiss. Against his lips, she murmured, "And you really do look hot!" 


	13. Some enchanted evening

No, I still don't own Lizzie McGuire, or any of it's characters. Get real. If I did, updating would be no problem. I'd just dictate to someone else, and let them post it for me!  
  
I would like to apologize for the ridiculous amount of time it has taken me to update, and beg to be forgiven by all you wonderful people who have taken the time to review and give me encouragement. I can only plea an extreme desire not to let you down by writing something that disappoints.  
  
And now a warning: This chapter contains lots of fluff that borders on limey. Proceed with caution and promise to brush and floss after you finish.  
  
This chapter is dedicated to Skgrrrrrrrl, because she made me get off my dead butt and write it. Thanks, GF. I can finally move on with the rest of the story. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
It all seemed like a dream...or a fairy tale. The evening was perfect ~ warm, but with the occasional chilly breeze that seemed to whisper "get closer" to the couples seated cozily on the terrace of Vincent's. Everywhere around them there were vine wrapped columns, wisteria draped canopies, and tiny fairy lights. Candlelight was the only other illumination, aside from the fireflies dancing in the distance. The sun was making its final descent onto the horizon, and the sky was painted in magnificent hues ranging from cobalt blue to brilliant copper to crimson. It was almost unbearably romantic.  
  
For dinner, each couple had had a small table to themselves, but they were grouped together so they could all talk. Later, when Lizzie tried to recall the details of the night, she wasn't at all sure she could remember what she had eaten, but it had all been wonderful. Now, they were all seated on outdoor benches with large overstuffed cushions, a small table in front of each, for coffee and desert. Each bench had a small canopy around it, and was faced slightly away from the others, offering each couple privacy.  
  
In their private little cove, Lizzie and Gordo watched the sunset cuddled close together, shutting out the rest of the world. Lizzie's head rested on Gordo's shoulder in perfect contentment. Who needed to go to the prom ~ she would be happy to stay right her all night. Except that Gordo looked so...amazingly hot in that tuxedo. She felt her face flush. Definitely hot. It wasn't as if she hadn't thought he was before, but there was something about the fact that Gordo, who didn't care what the world thought of him, who dressed to please no one but himself, who thought designer labels were shallow and ridiculous, had put on this uncomfortable suit just to make her happy. And damn! He looked good!  
  
Gordo was also lost in thought ~ about the ring in his pocket. It wasn't an engagement ring, or even a promise ring, but to him it meant the same thing; that is heart belonged to her and always would. Would she accept it? That he had made it himself, that it was a piece of himself that he was giving her ~ would she understand that? He reached over to touch her face, and gently turned her it towards his. 'God, she's beautiful! And mine! All mine! What karmic debt do I owe for this good fortune?' She gazed up at him with a dreamy smile. He searched her eyes and saw love, devotion, loyalty.and something else. Fire? His breath caught in his throat, and his pulse quickened. He bent his head to taste her lips and moaned softly as he felt her tongue slide across his lower lip. He opened his mouth to her and eagerly met her tongue with his own, tasting and exploring.  
  
"Mmmmm, Gordo..."  
  
When they finally came up for air, they realized that in their "absence" the waiter had brought their desserts and set them on the small table in front of them. Gordo, perhaps for the first time in his life, had found something that he liked much better than food. No matter how delicious that cheesecake looked, it didn't even begin to compare with Lizzie. He turned back to her, wanting to resume their activities, but Lizzie had reached for his plate and was cutting a bite for him.  
  
She playfully fed Gordo a bite of cheesecake, and watched him enjoy it. She cut another bite with the fork, then smiling seductively, this time fed it to him with her fingers. He looked a little startled, but caught her finger with his lips as she popped the bite into his mouth. She smiled again as she wiped a few crumbs from his lips with her finger, then daintily licked that finger. A light blush stained her cheeks, but she didn't break their eye contact. His heart was thundering in his chest. Never could he remember dessert being so exciting. But here, with his stunning girl ~ no, woman~ he knew he would never be able to see a cheesecake the same way again.  
  
He decided he'd better reciprocate, so he picked up her glass filled with creamy chocolate mousse. He took a spoonful and offered it up to her luscious lips. She took the bite, then closed her eyes and seemed to purr, "Mmmmm." He decided two could play her game, so he swirled his finger in the mousse, and then offered it to her. She smiled and took his chocolate covered finger into his mouth, sucking gently, then licking it clean. He watched her with a growing hunger that had nothing to do with the deserts they had on their plates. Or at least, nothing to do with eating them. She smiled seductively again, and said, "Would you like to try it?"  
  
Unable to answer, or even break his gaze on her lips, he could only nod. She smirked and curled her hand around the back of his neck, then brought his lips down to hers. She opened her mouth to allow him to taste the rich chocolate on her tongue. His senses began to cloud over, and all there was in the world was him and this gorgeous woman that he had known all his life, had loved for years, and who he found, amazingly, loved him back.  
  
She pulled back and eyed him playfully. "Want some more?" she purred, as she swirled her own finger into the thick, creamy chocolate and then to Gordo's surprise, traced a line from the base of her throat downward. Gordo stared at her for only a moment before bending forward to trace the line with his tongue. He came to the cleft between her breasts above the neckline of her dress, pausing there to enjoy the taste of the rich confection mixed with the saltiness of her skin. He heard her moan softly, and drew back to see her neck arched and her head tilted backward, lips parted, cheeks flushed, and her breath coming in soft rasps.  
  
Every fiber in his body was screaming at him, "Do something!" He wanted desperately to let his hands wander over the curves of her lush body, to take this delightful experience to the next level. But that annoying voice in the back of his mind reminded him that this, the patio of the restaurant where they had just eaten their dinner, was not the place for it. He knew it to be true, but his body wasn't listening. That voice could not stop the warmth spreading all over his body that was making his pants uncomfortably tight. He cupped his hand around the back of Lizzie's head and brought her lips to his in a kiss of pure heat and passion. She answered with equal hunger, letting her hands wrap around his trim waist and run up his well-muscled back.  
  
"Hey, you two! Do we have to get a fire hose to cool you down?" Miranda was peeking from around the canopy. "Kate and I are going to check our hair and make-up in the Ladies' before he head out." She eyed Lizzie critically, "You'd definitely better join us, Lizzie! Luckily, Kate brought "the kit.""  
  
Lizzie and Gordo both blushed bright red and tried to stand, but clumsily fell back into the soft cushions. Miranda grinned and turned to leave, but then glanced back at Gordo, "You could use some help too, pal! Better check that shirt and tie."  
  
The couple looked longingly down at their abandoned desserts. Then they smiled at each other, and exchanged a lighter kiss. In Gordo's eyes, she didn't need any "fixing up." Her flushed face and swollen lips made her more tantalizing than ever.  
  
"Lizzie."  
  
"Hmmm?" She was trying to adjust her neckline.  
  
"I love you forever."  
  
"And I you, Gordo." She brushed his lips lightly with her own, then got up to follow Miranda. Gordo stayed put for the moment, to try and let the more obvious evidence of his arousal lessen before joining the other guys. Of course, it didn't help. As soon as the girls were gone, the guys came around to join him.  
  
"Hey, Gor-don, way to go!" came Ethan's usual insightful wit.  
  
Danny just grinned at him. "You know, Gordo, we have a suite at the hotel tonight, compliments of the record company. Sort of a perk. The keep it for visiting bands, and no one was using it tonight. We can use it to rest, or change, or...whatever. There's even a private hot tub in it." He handed over one of the card-keys for the door. "Top floor ~ number 1201."  
  
Gordo was trying really hard to be cool about this. He was pretty sure these guys both had a lot more experience with women than he did. He tried really hard not to remember that some of that experience on Ethan's part might be with the love of his life. But all he could do was blush a little and say, "Well, you know, it hasn't really gotten that far yet..."  
  
Danny smiled, "Not with us either. But you never know. There are lots of condoms in the nightstand drawers, also courtesy of the record company. Don't forget that." He eyed them both, not sure which of the three couples was most likely to need them. "Or to bolt the door when you're using the room!"  
  
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In the Ladies' lounge, Kate applied a little foundation and some powder to Lizzie's face. She took out a small brush and outlined her lips, then filled them in with a shimmery terra cotta color. She then dusted them with powder, and made Lizzie blot with tissue. She then repeated the color. She stood back to study the effect, and announced her salvaged.  
  
Miranda took over and checked her tousled hair, but decided that amazingly Lizzie and Gordo had only managed to improve it. She just fixed a few stray tendrils and shellacked it all with hair spray.  
  
They weren't silent during any of this, of course. There was, of course, the obligatory ribbing and interrogation for details. But when they came to the subject of the "Company hotel room," Lizzie turned her eyes to Miranda in the mirror.  
  
"Miranda, I hope if you and Danny had ever, you know...gone all the way, you would have told me, right?"  
  
Miranda stopped with her mascara wand in mid-air, looking a little guilty. She looked at Lizzie's reflection and continued to paint her eyelashes, "We've never gone that far, Lizzie. I would have told you. But we have done...other things. To mutually satisfy each other. It's hard sometimes. I mean, we've been together for so long. And it's getting harder not to."  
  
"So, you think about it, anyway, right?" Miranda nodded. "And you, Kate; I assume things haven't changed since you asked Ethan to the prom?"  
  
"We haven't even been on a date, so, no. But before, when we were dating, it was hard not to. Like I told you, we almost did."  
  
Lizzie was quiet for a minute, then said, "I know what you mean. I mean, I have known Gordo forever, and I know everything about him. Or, at least, I know a lot about him. But I never knew how it would feel to kiss him. I mean, kissing Ethan was great, exciting. But kissing Gordo just feels...amazing. Like we physically and I don't know, ...spiritually connect. Like our hearts beat together. I feel so...connected ~ so complete. It's....euphoric! I know it sounds stupid and weird, but I feel like I was made to kiss him. And I'm dying to know what it will feel like to connect even more with him. I...I just want all of him, sometimes, and it's hard to control. Do you know what I mean, or am I just nuts?"  
  
She spoke so passionately that her friends just stared at her, awestruck. Kate finally broke the silence, "Wow! You're a lucky woman, Lizzie. Most people search all their lives for someone who makes them fell like that. And he was right in front of you all the time."  
  
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They all arrived at the hotel at the same time, but when Lizzie took Gordo's arm and started into the ballroom, Gordo hesitated. He had seen a beautiful waterfall outside the lobby window, and it was just a short walk down the path. He really wanted to present her with his gift before they went into the dance, because he was afraid the night would get away from them and he would lose his chance.  
  
Lizzie looked back at him with a question in her eyes, and he took a deep breath and asked, "Mind if we go for a little walk first?" He gestured toward the waterfall.  
  
She breathed, "Oh, it's lovely!" and turned to follow him.  
  
Out in the courtyard, the air was heavy with the heady fragrance of tropical flowers. The stars shown above likes diamonds on black velvet, but the moon cast an ethereal glow that was almost as bright as daylight. That moon. The moon that seemed to care for them when Lizzie was in danger. It appeared to be there for them again.  
  
Gordo stopped by the waterfall and they embraced. He could hear soft, romantic music emanating from the ballroom. He whispered into her ear, "May I have this first dance?"  
  
Without a word, she laid her head on his shoulder, and they swayed gently to the music, mindful of the closeness of their bodies, the synchronized beat of their hearts. Gordo pulled his head back to look at her lovely face, eyes closed, cheek rested on his breast. He took her chin tenderly with his fingers and lifted it to touch her lips with his. She answered his kiss and tried to deepen it, but he pulled back. If he let their passion go again, he would never get around to doing what he had been waiting so long to do.  
  
He pulled away and reluctantly disengaged their bodies. Lizzie's glance held a question, but he took her hand and led her over to a garden bench by the cascading water. He sat down next to her, and took both of her hands in his.  
  
"Lizzie, I'll answer you now. You wanted to know where I was going every Wednesday night. I can tell you now." He pushed his hand into his pocket and pulled out a small blue box, tied with a white ribbon. He placed it in her palm, indicating that she should unwrap it. She glanced up at him questioningly, but then turned her eyes back and eagerly pulled the ribbon to unwrap her present. While she was doing this, he began telling her the story of his shopping trip with her brother, and about finding the stone and taking the jewelry class to make the ring for her.  
  
When she finally got the box open, there was another box nested within it. It was a ring box, and it made her heartbeat quicken. Was this an engagement ring? Surely not. They were only 18! Of course, it hardly mattered, since she knew with all her heart and soul that they were meant to be together, but it still seemed too soon. Gordo had stopped talking, waiting for her to open the box.  
  
She slid the little box out if the larger one, and looked up at her love. He took it from her and opened the lid. Lizzie stared at the ring that nestled inside. She looked up at him, "You made that? For me?" Tears formed in her eyes. No, it wasn't an engagement ring, but a piece of his heart. Any other guy would just go out and buy some trinket for his girlfriend, figuring that his money would speak for him. But not Gordo. No, he had taken the time to make this unbelievably beautiful ring just for her. There wasn't another one in the world like it, because he made it. Just for her.  
  
Gordo watched her carefully. She hadn't taken it out of the box yet. She was still staring at it, with tears in her eyes. 'Doesn't she like it? Is it ugly? Tacky?' His heart was beating wildly within his chest. To hide his nervousness, he did what Gordo usually did; he started chattering. He was telling her about first seeing the stone and how it perfectly matched her eyes, and how he had felt in his heart that she needed to have it. He started to tell her about the design process, but stopped when she looked up at him, tears rolling down her cheeks and a smile on her lips.  
  
She sniffed, "Oh, Gordo! It's beautiful! I can't believe you did this for me! It's the most wonderful, amazing thing anyone has ever given me!"  
  
His heart surged with joy. She loved it! She really loved it! He took the ring from the box, and took her hand. "Can I put it on your left ring finger? For now? Until I replace it someday with a diamond?"  
  
She just nodded mutely, too choked with emotion to speak. He showed her all the parts of the ring and explained their significance. When he turned it over and showed her their names molded into the gold, she smiled up at him and said, "Thank you. Thank you Gordo. It's beautiful, but that's not what I love most about it. I love that you did this for me, and I love you even more for it, if that's possible. I will never take it off. Even if I let you replace it with another ring, I will wear it always. But I can't imagine a diamond that would be more beautiful or mean more to me than this." And with that, she pulled his mouth down to hers in an intoxicating kiss of passion that ignited his heart and sent fire surging through his entire being. He thought longingly of that card-key in his pocket.  
  
But no, they had a prom to get to. And he wasn't going to skip this night with the most beautiful woman in the world on his arm, and the chance to dance the night away with her. There would be the rest of their lives to do...other things.  
  
So, when she pulled back and smiled at him, he rested his forehead on hers and gently wiped the residual tears away, and rubbed away a small smear of lipstick with a folded handkerchief. She giggled and took the hankie from him to wipe the lipstick from his mouth, then paused. "I've marked you. Maybe I should leave it as a warning to other females who see you."  
  
Gordo grinned back at her, "Oh, yeah, I have hoards of love-sick women following me everywhere! Like, none!"  
  
"Well, they haven't seen you in a tux yet." She answered. "Still, I guess we don't want you wearing deep coral in the pictures." And she delicately removed the evidence of their kisses.  
  
Inside the ballroom, she ran to the others who were in line for pictures, and excitedly showed them her ring. They admired it, and gaped at Gordo. Miranda smirked at him and said, "Who knew? Our Gordo can add jewelry designer to his long list of talents. And a good one, too!"  
  
Kate then looked at Lizzie in fake exasperation and exclaimed, "Can't you two keep off of each other long enough to take a picture?" she giggled, and said under her breath, "Lucky!" She handed Lizzie the tube of lipstick and a small mirror from her "mini-make-up kit" (purse). Lizzie applied it and handed back to Kate. Kate then took out her pressed powder and dusted Lizzie's nose, cheeks and forehead. "All right, Girl, this is the last time. After this, you're on your own!"  
  
Lizzie grinned, "After the pictures, it won't matter so much will it?"  
  
When their time in front of the camera finally came, they stepped up to the mark. Katherine, the photographer knew most of the kids from various events over the years, and knew Lizzie and Gordo both pretty well. She was pleasantly surprised when they stepped up to her mark together, and even happier to note that they hadn't just come together as best friends. She looked through her viewfinder at what she thought was the most perfect pair she had ever photographed.  
  
She looked out from behind the camera and suggested that Gordo stand on a small lift behind Lizzie. "Yeah, yeah, I know I'm short!" Gordo quipped in pretended offence, but he took the lift and stood on it.  
  
Katherine took another look through her camera, and said, "Gordo, since when did you start wearing lipstick?"  
  
Kate could be heard off camera, "I swear, those two..."  
  
But Lizzie grinned and turned to him. "Sorry." She put her left hand gently on his cheek to steady his head, and then moistened the thumb of her right hand on her tongue. She reached up and gently rubbed the lipstick away. All this while, Gordo had his hands rested lightly on her hips as he gazed lovingly at the face of the angel who ministered to him.  
  
Katherine watched this all through the viewfinder of her camera, and was awestruck by the amount of feeling that came through from this couple in just these simple actions. She almost wasn't aware that she had started clicking her shutter, frame after frame, until Lizzie finally finished. She started to reach up for a kiss, then stopped when she heard a sharp hiss, "Don't do it!" from the side. She grinned sheepishly, and turned for their posed Prom photo.  
  
The rest of the night was a dream. It flew by like magic. They danced all night. They mixed up the couples for a few dances, and danced as a group for several. But Lizzie and Gordo danced all the slow dances together, and several times had to be reminded when the music sped up.  
  
One of the cheerleaders was prom queen, one of the basketball players was king. No one but them really cared. While they took their dance alone on the dance floor, Lizzie and Gordo surveyed the refreshment tables. Lizzie grinned wickedly as she grabbed a tall glass of brown fluff, and said, "Want some chocolate mousse?"  
  
Gordo blushed and grinned, "Only if you're wearing it!" It seemed as if he had to add chocolate mousse to his list of "deserts he would never see the same way again."  
  
A/N Ok, I finally updated! I hope you enjoyed it! Lot's of limey fluff for all you incurable romantics. The night's not over, and there's a little more to go, but frankly I'm exhausted and need to hit the sheets. The way my schedule is looking, you might not see the rest for a week or so, but I really will try to update sooner. After all, I'm on a roll!  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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